In our 661st issue:

• UPDATES
• MINILINKS
• ANNOUNCEMENTS

When the Government Comes Knocking, Who Has Your Back?

When governments are after your personal data, which online services will stand up and defend it? In our fourth annual Who Has Your Back report, we look at companies' public policies and practices, so that privacy-conscious consumers can make an informed decision about who to trust with their most sensitive data. We were pleased to find out that, in a year rocked by high-profile disclosures of NSA spying reaching into our online accounts, many companies have responded by increasing their commitment to transparency, pushing back against mass surveillance, and fighting for their users. The full report goes into extensive detail about how each company performed, and what exactly our evaluation criteria were. Public policies and commitments aren't the last word when it comes to defending your privacy, but as we trust online services with more and more of our information, it's an increasingly important component. If you're concerned about your privacy from overreaching surveillance, you'll want to know: when the government comes knocking, who has your back?

It's Time to Defend Net Neutrality: Tell the FCC What you Think of its Proposed Regulations

Today the FCC met to discuss new rules that could determine the future of network neutrality. There’s been a lot of news circulating about what the FCC's plan will contain. And while we haven't seen the text of the plan yet, we know the agency is still considering a set of rules that will allow Internet providers to differentiate how we access websites. But the FCC is clearly hearing the public outcry to protect the future of the Internet. The agency announced that they are seeking comment on wider set of initiatives that would stop ISPs from setting up pay-to-play Internet fast lanes. The FCC is opening a four-month comment window to hear from people across country about how their proposed rules will effect the future of our Internet. So we must take this opportunity to speak up — early, and often. EFF has created a tool to help. Visit DearFCC.org to raise your voice and make sure the FCC is clear on this point: We don't want regulations that will turn ISPs into gatekeepers to their subscribers.

EFF Updates

Victory! Chevron Withdraws Subpoenas to Anonymous Email Users Represented by EFF and EarthRights International

EFF and EarthRights International represented Ecuadorian environmental activists, attorneys, and journalists fighting against the environmental damage caused by Chevron in Ecuador. After several court battles, Chevron agreed to withdraw subpoenas to Yahoo! and Google requesting extensive and troubling information about webmail users.

The Morality Police in Your Checking Account: Chase Bank Shuts Down Accounts of Adult Entertainers

Chase Bank sent letters to hundreds of adult entertainers informing them that their bank accounts would be shut down without giving a reason. Some are speculating that the Department of Justice's misguided "Operation Chokepoint" program may be behind the move.

International Day Against DRM: It's Time to Fix U.S. Copyright Law

Digital rights management (DRM) is technology that purportedly exists to protect against copyright infringement, but in practice limits how people use and share technology they have paid for.

We’ve Got TPP Right Where We Want It: Going Nowhere

The secrecy surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, and the massive opposition TPP has faced from all sides, appears to be stalling the negotiation process.

The White House Big Data Report: The Good, The Bad, and The Missing

We did an in-depth analysis of a big data report commissioned by President Obama. While the report addresses issues like the dangers of discrimination based on big data, it ignores others, and even has some concerning suggestions, such as likening whistleblowers to violent criminals.

EFF Calls for Release of Ethiopian Dissident Bloggers

Bloggers in Ethiopia who are critical of the government face censorship, intimidation, and pervasive surveillance. Recently, six dissident bloggers were arrested--the government of Ethiopia must release them now.

Government Plays Fast and Loose with Technology in Supreme Court Cell Phone Cases

The government's arguments in two Supreme Court cases regarding cell phone searches by law enforcement included extreme mischaracterizations both of how cell phone technology works and how people use it.

Pols to Ad Networks: Pretend We Passed SOPA, and Never Mind About Violating Antitrust Law

Members of Congress are pressuring ad networks to blacklist sites based on easy to abuse commercial definitions of "pirate sites." This mimics the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) even though public pressure ensured that SOPA did not become law, and it may very well violate federal antitrust law.

EFF Releases Alpha Version of Privacy Badger, a New Tool to Help Block Trackers and Spy Ads

EFF has released our first version of Privacy Badger, a new open source browser add-on for Firefox and Chrome that stops advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web.

miniLinks

The battle against pervasive surveillance can be won – really!

Between legislative action like USA FREEDOM, direct action like Reset the Net, and legal action like EFF's NSA cases, we will see real change to the NSA.

Why I Licensed Under Creative Commons: I’m Building the World I Want to Live In

Novelist SL Huang explains how using Creative Commons licenses helps creativity thrive.

Cops Must Swear Silence to Access Vehicle Tracking System

Cops who use a private vehicle tracking database can't cooperate with the media, according to its user agreement.

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Administrivia

Editor: Nadia Kayyali, Activist
editor@eff.org

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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