EFFector Vol. 21, No. 42 December 24, 2008 editor@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : In our 494th issue: *Happy Holidays from EFF! Thank you to all of you, our friends and supporters, for another good year in the fight for digital rights. Please enjoy our animated holiday greeting celebrating the season. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/twelve-days-eff : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : EFF Updates * THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSIT AUTHORITY (MBTA) AND MIT STUDENTS WILL JOIN TO DISCUSS IMPROVEMENTS TO THE AUTOMATED FARE SYSTEM following the dismissal of a federal lawsuit brought by the MBTA against the MIT students. The parties have agreed to work together to identify and help improve security issues in the MBTA's Automated Fare Collection System in a way that is as straightforward and inexpensive to address as possible. The MIT students were represented in the lawsuit pro bono by the Coders' Rights Project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). EFF was assisted in this case by the ACLU of Massachusetts Legal Director John Reinstein and Fish & Richardson attorneys Adam Kessel, Lawrence Kolodney, and Tom Brown. For the full press release: http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/12/22 For more on MBTA v. Anderson: http://www.eff.org/cases/mbta-v-anderson * The Whistleblower Who Kick-Started Spying Revelations Thomas M. Tamm has come forward, and his story is a timely lesson on how important -- and frightening -- it can be to do the right thing. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/whistleblower-who-kick-started-domestic-spying-rev * First Interview with the NSA Whistleblower Clips and excerpts from Thomas M. Mann's first public interview on The Rachel Maddow Show. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/first-interview-nsa-whistleblower * RIAA v. The People Turns from Lawsuits to 3 Strikes The recording industry has halted its mass litigation campaign against music fans for Internet file sharing and is instead pressuring U.S. ISPs into adopting a "3 strikes" approach. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/riaa-v-people-turns-lawsuits-3-strikes * EFF, Others Urge Michigan State to Respect Student Speech EFF and 11 other civil liberties organizations sent an open letter to Michigan State University (MSU) President Lou Anna K. Simon in defense of MSU student government leader Kara Spencer, who was labeled a "spammer" for sending e-mails to 391 faculty members about a controversial change in the university's calendar. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/eff-fire-and-others-urge-michigan-state-respect-st * Court Rules Against National Security Letter Gag Orders The federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals gave another setback to the Bush Administration's claims for sweeping new Executive powers when it found the National Security Letter statute's gag provision unconstitutional in Doe v. Mukasey. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/second-circuit-rules-against-national-security-let * Yahoo to Anonymize Logs After 90 Days Yahoo has announced a new data retention policy, providing for anonymization of search queries -- as well as page views, page clicks, ad views and ad clicks -- after 90 days. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/yahoo-anonymize-logs-after-90-days-compared-google * Reactions to Yahoo Data Retention Policy Google and Microsoft weigh in on Yahoo's 90-day retention policy. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/reactions-yahoo-data-retention-policy * Is It Patentable? The In re Bilski finding that to be patent-eligible an idea must be "tied to a particular machine or apparatus," or it must "transform a particular article into a different state or thing," is put into practice. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/is-it-patentable : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : miniLinks ~ Obama's Total Information Awareness The New Republic says no campaign in history has ever compiled more information on its supporters. http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=80cdafca-1f22-4fce-9663-3f4845bc54f4 ~ FBI Turning Cell Phones Into Eavesdropping Devices By remotely activating the microphone in mobile phones, the FBI has been able to eavesdrop on suspects. http://news.cnet.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html ~ Analysis of the 2nd Circuit Decision on NSLs Eugene Volokh goes deep inside the 2nd Circuit's decision to ask whether the ruling is good for free speech. http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_12_14-2008_12_20.shtml#1229385049 For more miniLinks: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/12/minilinks-2008-12-23 : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : Announcements * Come Visit EFF at Macworld '09! Visit EFF at Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco from January 6-9. We'll be at booth 4418 in the North hall with a wide range of EFF paraphernalia and other goodies. We hope to see you there! Register online with the EFF priority code: CSO13105 for a $25 Expo Pass ($45 Value) Macworld Conference & Expo: http://www.macworldexpo.com * Celebrate EFF's 18th Birthday Party on January 7, 2009! Come celebrate EFF's 18th year of defending digital rights with our biggest bash yet! Special guest DJ Spooky will be rocking the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, with help from Bootie mashup party pioneers Adrian and the Mysterious D, as well as copyfighter and Surya Dub DJ Kid Kameleon. The first 400 people through the door will receive a free mix CD from DJ Spooky! Party with us from 8 p.m. until ???. We'll be asking for a $25 donation at the door to fund our work defending your digital freedom, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please RSVP to events@eff.org. 21+ only, cash bar. Pre-pay for the party using our Happy Birthday donation page, and you'll have the option to get a discounted membership! As always, membership includes great EFF swag - perfect for wearing to an EFF party! Please use this URL: http://secure.eff.org/happybirthday * Before the main Birthday Party, please join EFF staff, founders, board members, and other luminaries at a special VIP event beginning at 7 p.m. The reception will feature a reading by DJ Spooky from his new book, Sound Unbound, which asks artists to report from the front lines on the role of sound and digital media in an information-based society. The ticket price of $100 includes admission to the main party; wine and light hors d'oeuvres will be served. The first 40 people to RSVP at the VIP level will receive a free autographed copy of Sound Unbound. For more on the VIP pre-party: http://www.eff.org/calendar/2009/01/07/vip-birthday To RSVP: http://secure.eff.org/happybirthday . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : Administrivia EFFector is published by: The Electronic Frontier Foundation http://www.eff.org/about Editor: Sara Bassett, Membership Services Assistant sara@eff.org Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: information@eff.org Back issues of EFFector are available at: http://www.eff.org/effector/
