EFFector 35.4
We're Fighting For Your Rights In Court, In Congress, and In Your Car
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In our 790th issue:
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Top Features
In 2021, San Mateo County, Calif., banned people incarcerated in its jails from receiving physical mail. EFF, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, and the Social Justice Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging this unconstitutional policy.
The European Parliament is debating a proposal that, if it passes, could be disastrous for privacy worldwide. Every message, photo, or hosted file could be scanned, with the results sent to government agencies. It’s time for everyone to tell legislators: Stop Scanning Me.
In a partial victory for police accountability, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that the First Amendment protects a passenger who livestreams the traffic stop of the car he is traveling in. EFF had filed an amicus brief supporting the plaintiff in Sharpe v. Winterville in 2021.
EFF Updates
We're piloting an audio version of EFFector's Newsletter. We hope you enjoy it!
The Supreme Court just heard two cases—Twitter v. Taamneh and Gonzalez v. Google—that could dramatically affect users’ speech rights online. Last week, EFF hosted a Capitol Hill panel in Washington D.C. to discuss what legislators need to know about these cases, the history of Section 230, and the First Amendment’s protections for online speech.
To provide researchers with the tools to analyze the impact of U.S. border security policy, EFF has released a new map and dataset of more than 290 surveillance towers installed by Customs and Border Protection along the border with Mexico.
With Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill set to undergo its second reading in the Ghanaian Parliament, EFF and other civil society partners are calling on the government of Ghana to immediately reject this draconian bill.
What started with a simple public records request became a journey into the absurd depths of Mexican bureaucracy. But we emerged victorious, and learned a lot about how a city experimented with a dangerous surveillance tool.
A trademark dispute between Jack Daniels and a maker of novelty dog toys may not sound like an important First Amendment battleground, but a bad decision in the latest trademark case to come before the U.S. Supreme Court could eliminate an important protection for a wide range of political and artistic expression.
Announcements
EFF supporters are invited to join hack.summit(), a virtual event hosted between March 31 and April 1, where you can learn about blockchain coding concepts from speakers including Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin.
Join us in San Francisco on April 27th for EFF's 7th annual Tech Trivia Night! Explore the obscure minutiae of digital security, online rights, and internet culture.
EFF is once again excited to be back in Las Vegas for Black Hat USA! If you are interested in submitting a talk to Black Hat, you can contact info@eff.org about any legal concerns regarding your talk or any sensitive InfoSec research you are conducting.
Job Openings
EFF is looking for a full-time Director, Technology Policy & Projects to lead part of the Public Interest Technology team’s work in privacy, competition, government surveillance, and cybersecurity, along with the development of our Privacy Badger software.
MiniLinks
There are legitimate data privacy concerns about all social media platforms, including but not limited to TikTok. That’s why EFF supports comprehensive consumer data privacy legislation.
A Texas bill targeting websites, people and companies that share abortion-related info online is systematically set up to silence people and chill speech.
Two Homeland Security agencies have been found conducting overly broad surveillance again—this time, by using stingray devices to collect cell phone data in violation of federal policies and laws.
Twitter’s abrupt end to free two-factor authentication via SMS will leave more users with less security.
The vague and broad provisions contained in the UN’s Cybercrime Treaty will undoubtedly sweep up and criminalize legitimate expression, news reporting, protest speeches, and more.
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