In our 629th issue:
Fix Computer Crime Law in Aaron Swartz's Memory
Since the tragic death of Aaron Swartz, people are starting to focus on the draconian U.S. computer crime laws that were misused in his prosecution.
While we have been struggling with problems in the Computer Fraud and
Abuse Act (CFAA) for years, this new attention means we may be able to
get meaningful reform -- but not without a great deal of public support.
Important efforts, like Rep. Zoe Lofgren's proposed "Aaron's Law," do
not go far enough. We've outlined the three most critical fixes that the CFAA needs, and put
together a page where you can contact your legislators to tell them that any proposed solution needs to address all three of these points. Please take action today.
Is It Illegal To Unlock a Phone? The Situation is Better -- and Worse -- Than You Think
Legal protection
for people who unlock their mobile phones for use on other networks
expired last weekend. According to the claims of major U.S. wireless
carriers, unlocking a phone bought after January 26 without your
carrier's permission violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
whether the phone is under contract or not. In a way, this is not as bad
as it sounds. In other ways, it's even worse.
Facebook Graph Search: Privacy Control You Still Don't Have
Facebook's Graph
Search has certainly caused quite a stir since it was first announced
two weeks ago. We wrote earlier about how Graph Search, still in beta,
presents new privacy problems by making shared information discoverable
that previously was hard, if not impossible, to find at a large scale.
Some unwanted search results come from associations with friends and
family -- and are therefore out of your control. We urge Facebook to fix
this problem by letting people opt out.
EFF Updates
After years of
litigation, it appears Stephanie Lenz may have a chance to tell her
story to a jury. Back in 2007, you’ll remember, she posted a video to
YouTube of her son dancing and running around with Prince's “Let's Go
Crazy” playing in the background. Now Judge Jeremy Fogel has issued a
ruling in the case that has sent contradictory signals on the future of
fair use under the DMCA.
Twitter has
released its second semi-annual transparency report, which details every
user data demand, censorship order, and copyright takedown request that
the micro-blogging site received in the second half of 2012. As with
Google's recent transparency report, there was a clear increase in
government demands for user data, with the United States leading by far.
Good news from
Colombia, where the Constitutional Court has struck down a sweeping
copyright enforcement law because Congress had fast tracked the bill and
overstepped various legislative procedures. The Court also ruled on the
constitutionality of the law itself, overruling provisions against the
retransmission of TV content and signals over the Internet as well as
its language on technological protection measures.
One year ago this
month, Internet users of all ages, races, and political stripes
participated in the largest protest in Internet history. Congress was
flooded with millions of emails and phone calls to demand they drop the
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)—a dangerous bill that would have allowed
corporations and the govenrment to censor large parts of the Web. But
the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and the fight for Internet
freedom continues. Here’s a look at the top five issues SOPA activists
should focus on next.
In the countries that comprise the “Gulf States,”
citizens are increasingly taking to social media to air their grievances
against government officials, and are also increasingly being arrested,
detained, or harassed for it.
The FBI had to
rewrite the book on its domestic surveillance activities in the wake of
last January's landmark Supreme Court decision in United States v.
Jones. But if you want to see the two memos describing how the FBI has
reacted to Jones -- and the new surveillance techniques the FBI is using
beyond GPS trackers -- you’re out of luck. Though the FBI won’t release
the memos, we do have some information from other sources on the
surveillance techniques federal agents are already using.
miniLinks
We created some
digital shwag to celebrate Internet Freedom Day -- the one year
anniversary of the Internet-wide blackout protests that killed the
censorship bills SOPA and PIPA. Check out these images, designed to be
used as Twitter headers.
Since last July,
hundreds of ordinary citizens have helped MuckRock and EFF file records
requests to map the deployment of drones across the country. As MuckRock
prepares to close the 2012 installment of this project, users have a
last opportunity for their request to be included in the first year's
results.
Carl Malamud's stirring call to action at Aaron
Swartz's San Francisco memorial this month should serve as a reminder:
Aaron's actions were not those of a lone wolf, and his cause is our own.Supported by Members
Our members make it
possible for EFF to bring legal and technological expertise into
crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free speech
online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your participation
makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who value
freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate.
If you aren't already, please consider becoming an EFF member today.
Administrivia
Editor:
Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org
editor@eff.org
EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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