In our 586th issue:
Copyright troll Righthaven's flawed business model—suing hundreds of bloggers and small websites for dubious cases of alleged copyright infringement of newspaper articles—appears to be grinding to an inexorable finish. But even as the Righthaven cases prove that litigation isn't going to magically make print media profitable in the age of the Internet, a new generation of journalists and creators are adapting to the digital world—including one of Righthaven's former clients.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the government must turn over information from criminal prosecutions in which federal law enforcement agencies obtained cell-site location information without a warrant. The suit, filed by EFF and the ACLU, sought the release of the case numbers and case names. The court’s decision is the latest victory in EFF's fight to stop the government from tracking citizens’ movements without a warrant.
We’ve been puzzling over the Author’s Guild’s decision to sue several university libraries. At issue is the libraries' participation in the digitization and storage of millions of works and making scans of some of those works available to the academic community, largely in connection with the Google Books project. Simply put, it appears that the Guild is dead set on wasting time and money addressing imaginary harms, whether or not its efforts might actually benefit either its members or the public.
EFF Updates
Match My Donation!
Did you know that right now you could double, and in some cases triple, the amount of your donation to EFF at no additional cost to you? Many companies support and encourage charitable giving by matching employee gifts to US 501(c)(3) nonprofits like EFF. Try our matching donation search tool to see if your company will match your donation!
Freedom Not Fear: Ending A Decade Long Legacy of International Privacy Erosion
For five years in a row, Freedom Not Fear has taken to the streets in several cities in Europe and beyond to demand an end to suspicionless surveillance measures like mandatory data retention laws. On Saturday September 17th, protesters from throughout Europe descended on Brussels to directly confront European Union officials at their headquarters.
A Post Mortem on the Iranian DigiNotar Attack -- including Tips to Protect Yourself
SSL certificates are the glue that holds the encrypted portions of the Internet together—they are how your browser knows that the website you visit is the website you intended to visit. The recent DigiNotar hack suggests that over 300,000 primarily Iranian Internet users may have been had their communications intercepted. Read EFF's post mortem analysis and a list of basic tips you can take to reduce--but not eliminate--your risk.
miniLinks
Tor Relay Operators: Upgrade Now
If you run a Tor relay or bridge, please upgrade immediately to help users in Iran circumvent government censorship.
Canadians Take a Stand Against Online Spying
The Canadian government is set to ram through a new set of electronic surveillance laws that will allow authorities to access private information of any Canadian, at any time, without a warrant. Sign the petition against warrantless surveillance now.
Judge Sanctions Copyright Troll Attorney for "Staggering Chutzpah"
District Court Judge David C. Godbey granted EFF's and Public Citizen's sanctions motion against Evan Stone, attorney for Mick Haig Productions, who improperly issued subpoenas to ISPs without court permission in order to obtain the identities of alleged file sharers. The court's blistering opinion speaks for itself, characterizing Stone's actions in the case as "staggering chutzpah" and adding that "The Court rarely has encountered a more textbook example of conduct deserving of sanctions."
Administrivia
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Parker Higgins, Activist
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Announcements
Californians, Please Act Now! Tell Governor Brown to Sign the Reader Privacy Act
Reading choices reveal intimate facts about our lives—from our political and religious beliefs to our health concerns. Tell Governor Brown to sign the Reader Privacy Act today, and ensure Californians don’t have to compromise their privacy when downloading electronic books, using online book services, or even buying books from their local bookstore.
How the Protect IP Act Puts Artists and the Internet in Danger
Join Richard Esguerra, EFF's Senior Activist, in a live phonecast with MADCo member groups, friends, and allies as they discuss the basics of Protect IP, its impact on artistic communities, the implications on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and new research on intellectual property.
Location: Phonecast
Date: September 22, 2011
EFF at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum
The Internet Governance Forum is a multi-stakeholder policy dialogue space first convened by the United Nations Secretary General in 2006 to discuss Internet policy issues. EFF staffers are participating in insightful presentations and panel discussions this year, and have co-organized essential workshops about privacy, surveillance, and Internet intermediaries.
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Date: September 27-30, 2011
City Club of Cleveland Presents: Conference on Speech
EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn joins the first panel from 9:45-10:45 speaking on Free Speech in the Age of the Internet. The panel will explore ideas such as who owns and controls the online public forum, the relationship between speech and anonymity, the challenges of protecting free speech, the future of journalism and more.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Date: October 10, 2011
Humanities and Technology Association Conference
Bowie State University will host the third annual Humanities and Technology Association Conference, which will look at the impact of technology in society. EFF's Director for International Freedom of Expression, Jillian York, will be the keynote speaker for this event.
Location: Bowie, MD
Date: October 13-15, 2011
EFF at Bioneers: "The New Media Revolution and Political Expression"
Join the EFF's Director for International Freedom of Expression, along with journalist Nora Barrows-Friedman for a panel discussion (moderated by Mother Jones' Steve Katz) on the use of new media to fight political repression.
Location: San Rafael, CA
Date: October 14, 2011
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