EFFector Vol. 23, No. 15 June 11, 2010 editor@eff.org
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424
effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.
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In our 537th issue:
* EFF IS DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF THOUSANDS OF INTERNET
USERS FROM PREDATORY MOVIE-DOWNLOADING LAWSUITS by
asking judges in Washington, D.C., to deny attempts by
the U.S. Copyright Group (USCG) to lump scores of people
as defendants into copyright infringement cases. The USCG
has stacked the deck against the defendants by requiring
all of them to defend these cases in Washington, D.C.,
regardless of where they actually live.
EFF has long been concerned that some attorneys would
attempt to create a business out of mass copyright
lawsuits, shaking settlements out of innocent people who
aren't in a position to raise legitimate defenses. EFF is
asking the court to step in now and force USCG to follow
the rules that apply in all other cases.
For the full press release and link to the amicus brief:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2010/06/02
* OBVIOUSLY NOT LEARNING FROM THE SOCIAL NETWORKING
PRIVACY MISSTEPS OF FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE, YAHOO! RECENTLY
UNVEILED PLANS TO EXPOSE ITS USERS' ACTIONS ONLINE by
automatically publicizing what Yahoo! Mail users do on
Yahoo! websites to other Yahoo! Mail users. The convoluted
scheme avoids exposing lists of email contacts, as Google
Buzz originally did, but still reduces user choice --
users can never know the complete list of those who will
receive updates about their activities on Yahoo!. The
plan conflicts with two of the three core principles
in EFF's Bill of Privacy Rights for Social Network
Users. Yahoo! users interested in protecting their
privacy should check out EFF's instructions for opting
out completely.
For more details, including opt-out instructions:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/06/opt-out-required-prevent-your-yahoo-mail-contacts
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EFF Updates
* Major Search Engines Still Breaking EU Privacy Law
Officials from the influential "Article 29 Data Protection
Working Party" are pushing Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft
to do far more to make users' search data anonymous.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/06/european-officials-google-yahoo-microsoft-breaking-law
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miniLinks
~ Judge Limits DHS Laptop Border Searches
A 9th Circuit judge has ruled that border agents needed a
warrant to search the laptop of an American citizen that
had been confiscated 6 months earlier.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20007315-38.html
~ ACLU Sues Government for Data on E-spying Law
The ACLU is using the Freedom of Information Act to seek
information on possible abuses under the FISA Amendments
Act.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100604_7190.php
~ Canada's Bill C-32: A Canadian DMCA?
Michael Geist says the digital lock provisions in the
bill will likely create unintended consequences, just
like the DMCA.
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5097/125
~ Accused P2P Users Speak Out
Ars Technica spoke to individuals who have been swept
up by the recent wave of P2P movie lawsuits but claim
innocence.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/06/songs-of-innocence.ars
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Announcements
* Nominate a Pioneer for EFF's 2010 Pioneer Awards!
EFF established the Pioneer Awards to recognize
leaders on the electronic frontier who are extending
freedom and innovation in the realm of information
technology. This is your opportunity to nominate a
deserving individual or group to receive a Pioneer Award
for 2010. The International Pioneer Awards nominations
are open to individuals and organizations from any
country. Nominations are reviewed by a panel of judges
chosen for their knowledge of the technical, legal,
and social issues associated with information technology.
http://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/
How to Nominate Someone for a 2010 Pioneer Award:
You may submit as many nominations as you wish! This year
we've made it possible for you to nominate someone
using our online nomination form. We also welcome
nominations via email, but please use one form or email
per nomination. If emailing entries, please submit your
entries via email to pioneer@eff.org. We will accept
nominations until August 9, 2010.
Simply tell us:
1. The name of the nominee,
2. The phone number, email address or website by which
the nominee can be reached, and, most important,
3. Why you feel the nominee deserves the award.
Nominee Criteria:
There are no specific categories for the EFF Pioneer
Awards, but the following guidelines apply:
1. The nominees must have contributed substantially
to the health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of
computer-based communications.
2. To be valid, all nominations must contain your
reason, however brief, for nominating the individual or
organization and a means of contacting the nominee. In
addition, while anonymous nominations will be accepted,
ideally we'd like to contact the nominating parties in
case we need further information.
3. The contribution may be technical, social, economic,
or cultural.
4. Nominations may be of individuals, systems, or
organizations in the private or public sectors.
5. Anyone may nominate a potential Pioneer Award
recipient, and you may nominate more than one
recipient. You may also nominate yourself or your
organization. Please send separate email messages for
each nominee.
6. Anyone can receive a Pioneer Award except:
- current members of EFF's staff
- current members of EFF's operating board
- current Pioneer Award judges
- past Pioneer Award recipients
7. Persons or representatives of organizations receiving
an EFF Pioneer Award will be invited to attend the
ceremony at EFF's expense.
More on the EFF Pioneer Awards:
http://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/
* Time Is Running out on EFF's DEF CON 18 Getaway Contest!
You still have time to register for EFF's DEF CON 18
Getaway Contest -- but just barely! Register today and
receive a personalized referral link. Send the link to
your friends and family, and tell them why they should
support EFF. The contestant(s) to raise the most money
for EFF between now and June 30, 2010, will win:
- two DEF CON 18 Human badges;
- a standard room at the Riviera Hotel for the nights of
July 29-31;
- two tickets to the Vegas 2.0 Party at the Top of the
Riv on July 29;
- two tickets to the iSEC Partners Party, location and
date TBD; and
- two badges to the Ninja Networks Party, location TBD,
on July 31.
There are prizes for second and third place winners,
as well. Visit www.eff.org/defcon for more information
and official contest rules. Contact contest@eff.org with
any questions. See you in Sin City!
* Help EFF Go to SouthEast LinuxFest!
EFF is looking for donations of airline miles, flight
vouchers, and hotel points for travel to SouthEast
LinuxFest in Spartanburg, SC, as well as other conferences
and speaking engagements. If you have enough airline miles
for a free ticket and would like to send an EFF staffer
to a conference, let us know, and we will help you with
the process of making the reservation. Please note that
at this time we are unable to combine miles from multiple
individuals. We are also looking for hotel rewards points
to help reduce our overall travel costs.
As a thanks for your donation, we can offer a free
membership and a mention in EFFector (if you'd
like). Please contact aaron@eff.org if you can help!
