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In our 642nd issue:
Over half a million people have signed onto the Stop Watching Us campaign, a nonpartisan, grassroots effort opposing the dragnet surveillance programs of the NSA. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, also has added his support to the campaign and was joined by internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei. Add your name now.
On the Fourth of July, groups of concerned individuals will take to the streets in dozens of cities across the United States in support of the Fourth Amendment. The movement -- known as Restore the Fourth -- aims to end all forms of unconstitutional surveillance of digital communications by the United States government. Visit the website to learn more and find a protest in your area.
Great news in the patent world: The USPTO has drastically narrowed the patent owned by ArrivalStar, which was used to wrongfully demand payment from cities and other municipalities that use tracking systems to tell transit passengers if their buses and trains are on time. EFF filed a formal request to reexamine the patent's legitimacy.
Member states of the United Nations concluded the draft of an international treaty that gives people with visual and reading disabilities better access to copyrighted works. People with reading and visual disabilities have faced a “book famine,” in which, at best, 7% of published books are converted into accessible formats. The treaty comes as the result of collective efforts to carve out protections for the blind and reading disabled that faced years of resistance from rightsholder industries.
Good news out of New Jersey: a judge has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking a dangerous a provision of a recently-passed New Jersey statute that would have left online service providers legally on the hook for user-generated content. The TRO blocks enforcement of the new law until the court hears additional arguments in support of a permanent injunction in early August. EFF represents the Internet Archive in this legal challenge to the law.
EFF Updates
In Depth Review: New NSA Documents Expose How Americans Can Be Spied on Without A Warrant
The Guardian published a new batch of secret leaked FISA court and NSA documents recently, which details how the government has been accessing Americans’ emails without a warrant, in violation of the Constitution. The documents lay bare fundamental problems with the ineffectual attempts to place meaningful limitations on the NSA’s massive surveillance program.
Appeal Filed to Free Andrew 'Weev' Auernheimer
A team of computer-crime legal experts, including EFF, filed an appeal of the federal felony conviction and lengthy prison sentence handed down to Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer, a computer researcher who revealed a massive security flaw in AT&T's website and was subsequently prosecuted under the CFAA.
Mandatory Data Retention Defeated in Australia, For Now
Australia’s security agencies have spent years pushing for the mandatory retention of the communications data of every citizen, which would require private companies to keep communications metadata of all customers for two years. Essentially, it treats every person as a criminal suspect. Now, a parliamentary committee has issued a report declining to recommend data retention and the governing Labor Party announced it will not pursue data retention before the next election. So data retention in Australia has been defeated, for now.
Renowned Security Expert Bruce Schneier Joins EFF Board of Directors
EFF is honored to announce the newest member of its Board of Directors: renowned security expert Bruce Schneier. Schneier is widely acclaimed for his criticism and commentary on everything from network security to national security.
EFF Sues FBI For Access to Facial-Recognition Records
As the FBI is rushing to build a "bigger, faster and better" biometrics database, it's also dragging its feet in releasing information related to the program's impact on the American public. In response, EFF filed a lawsuit to compel the FBI to produce records under the Freedom of Information Act.
miniLinks
Leaked NSA inspector general report on email and internet data collection by NSA
The Guardian published a leaked NSA inspector general report that details untold history of the NSA surveillance program.
New NSA slides explain PRISM data collection
The Washington Post published four new slides on the NSA Internet surveillance program that better explain how the collection works.
Misinformation on classified NSA programs includes statements by senior U.S. officials
In this excellent report, Washington Post documents all of the misleading statements, deceptions, and outright lies told by US officials about the NSA surveillance program.
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.
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Administrivia
Editor: Trevor Timm, Activist
editor@eff.org
EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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