|
In our 560th issue:
EFF's ongoing Freedom of Information Act project has
brought a new round of revelations about how data collected
by social networking sites can be obtained by the
government. As part of our request to the Department of
Justice and other federal agencies, we asked for copies of
the guides social networking sites themselves send out to
law enforcement explaining how agents can obtain
information about a site’s users. The guides we got back
enabled us to make an unprecedented comparison of these
critical documents, as most of the information was not
available publicly before now.
Sony has sued several security researchers for publishing
information about security holes in Sony’s PlayStation 3.
At first glance, it's hard to see why Sony is bothering;
the security flaws, which were made public weeks ago, allow
users to run Linux on their machines -- something Sony used
to support but recently started trying to prevent. The real
point of this lawsuit, it appears, is to send a message to
security researchers around the world: publish the details
of our security flaws and we'll come after you with both
barrels blazing.
EFF has asked an Illinois judge to quash subpoenas issued
in predatory lawsuits involving alleged illegal downloading
of pornography. In a recent amicus brief, EFF argued that
adult film companies were abusing the law in order to
coerce settlement payments despite serious problems with
the underlying claims. When adult film companies file these
predatory lawsuits, there is the added pressure of
embarrassment associated with pornography -- all of which
can result in defendents settling quickly instead of
arguing the merits of their case in court.
EFF Updates
Early Lessons from the Tunisian Revolution
The Tunisian revolution showed the incredible power and
real risks involved when online activists use social
networking tools in repressive regimes.
Don't Sacrifice Security on Mobile Devices
EFF urges users and developers to exert pressure on mobile device vendors in a bid for better security.
Bitcoin - a Step Toward Censorship-Resistant Digital Currency
Bitcoin, a project to create a peer-to-peer digital
currency, seeks to allow users to generate and exchange
money without traditional third parties.
Know Before You Go, Part 2: Burning Man Improves Ticket Terms But Retains Takedown Powers
The 2011 ticket terms for Burning Man show some reforms but
still give Burning Man Organization the right to send take
down notices to participants who post photos.
Fuzzy Boundaries: The Potential Impact of Vague Secondary Liability Doctrines on Technology Innovation
Former EFF intern and accomplished photographer Paul Szynol
warns that today's vague, secondary liability rules may
smother innovation from inventors big and small.
miniLinks
If Wikileaks Scraped P2P Networks for "Leaks," Did it Break Federal Criminal Law?
Prof. Paul Ohm discusses how scraping p2p networks for
files is probably not a violation of the Computer Fraud &
Abuse Act.
EFF and the ACLU Contend Government Needs Probable Cause
& Warrant to Track Cell Phones
EFF teamed up with the ACLU in opposing federal government
attempts to obtain cell phone users’ historical location
data from cell phone service providers without establishing
probable cause and obtaining a warrant.
Kindle DRM Broken
Too Smart Guys created a video showing how they removed the
DRM from Kindle books using Python and Windows.
Administrivia
ISSN 1062-9424
EFFector is a publication of
the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
454
Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA
94110-1914
USA
+1 415 436 9333
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
eff.org
Editor:
Rainey Reitman, Activist
editor@eff.org
Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org
General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: information@eff.org
Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent
the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles
individually, please contact the authors for their
express permission.
Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be
reproduced individually at will.
Back issues of EFFector
Change your email address
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.
EFF appreciates your support and respects your privacy. Privacy Policy.
Unsubscribe or change your subscription
preferences |
|
Announcements
Electronic Communications Act (ECPA) Revisited
EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston joins a panel discussion about the latest
privacy developments in court and Congress. Kevin will
cover some of the cases he has litigated and the state of
ECPA.
Location: Stanford, CA
Date: January 24, 2011
The Technology of Privacy: When Geeks Meet Wonks
EFF's Senior Staff Technologist Peter Eckersley is
participating in a panel discussion on the future of online
privacy as part of Data Privacy Day.
Location: Washington, DC
Date: January 28, 2011
SchmooCon 2011 - and the Summit on the Hill
SchmooCon is already sold out -- but don't despair! EFF
Senior Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann's talk, "Computer
Search and Seizure," will be live-streamed online. If you
plan to be DC, come to EFF's fundraiser and meet ShmooCon
speakers and VIPs in a private setting.
Location: Washington, DC
Date: January 28-30, 2011
2011 Consumer Protection Conference
Staff Attorney Jen Lynch joins in a panel at the ABA
Consumer Protection Conference on “'You've Got a Friend,'
But Is It Ethical?"
Location: Washington, DC
Date: February 3, 2011
EFF at RSA Conference USA 2011
Come to the EFF booth at the 2011 RSA Conference! Support
your favorite nonprofit while checking out the latest in
the infosec industry.
Location: San Francisco, CA
Date: February 13, 2011
BSidesSanFrancisco
Join EFF at BSidesSanFrancisco! Security B-Sides is a
community driven unconference built for and by information
security community members. It is an intense event with
discussions, demos and interaction from participants.
Location: San Francisco, CA
Date: February 13, 2011
EFF's 21st Birthday Party!
Join us as nerdcore and chiptune artists Dual Core,
Crashfaster, Adam WarRock, and Trash80 sling dope rhymes
and bangin' bleeps for EFF's 21st birthday at the
future-focused BAMM.tv studio in San Francisco.
Location: San Francisco, CA
Date: February 16, 2011
SOURCE Boston and SOURCE Seattle
EFF is a proud partner of two SOURCE Security Conferences!
In addition to advanced technical talks, SOURCE offers
workshops on entrepreneurship, management strategies, job
interviewing, presentation skills, and proficiencies and
strategies designed for the security industry.
Location: Boston, MA
Date: April 20, 2011
and
Location: Seattle, WA
Date: June 15-16, 2011
|
| EFF on |
 |
 |
|
|
