Notices by Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff@mastodon.social), page 3

The Alice v. CLS Bank decision has caused courts to throw out hundreds of bad software patents. Rewriting patent law to overturn Alice would give terrible patents new life.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/tillis-coons-patent-bill-will-be-disaster-innovation

Independent security audits of VPN practices are no guarantee you’re completely safe using them, says EFF's @jenuhhveev. “It doesn’t mean I can recommend them,” she says. “And it doesn’t mean you can trust them." https://time.com/5622139/best-vpn/

NYC! What does your online shadow look like? Come discuss data tracking with Electronic Frontier Alliance group @cypurrnyc on Sunday 8/11 at the Brooklyn Public Library. https://www.meetup.com/New-York-Cryptoparty-Network/events/263260550/

With no clear answers and little evidence, Customs and Border Protection continues to make the case for invasive technologies like face recognition before the House Homeland Security Committee. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/when-will-we-get-full-truth-about-how-and-why-government-using-facial-recognition

It's foolish to think that one set of rules would be appropriate for all children, let alone all Internet users. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/key-safety-online-user-empowerment-not-censorship

While the FTC settlement may seem like a fix to Facebook’s mismanagement of user phone numbers, it does not go far enough for us to consider it a complete victory. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/fixed-ftc-orders-facebook-stop-using-your-2fa-number-ads

It's time for the Department of Commerce to address the growing risks that private satellites pose to our privacy and civil liberties. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/department-commerce-address-privacy-licensing-satellites-watch-over-us

A secure messenger should guarantee that no one but you and your intended recipients can read or analyze your messages. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/dont-let-encrypted-messaging-become-hollow-promise

Communities across the country are looking to bans and moratoriums on government use of biometric surveillance to protect residents civil liberties and safety. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/victory-oakland-city-council-votes-ban-government-use-face-surveillance

Until Facebook fixes the loose ends the FTC settlement left hanging, users can expect that its reckless misuse of their phone numbers will continue. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/fixed-ftc-orders-facebook-stop-using-your-2fa-number-ads

Antitrust enforcement in the U.S. has become strangled in an outmoded economic doctrine that fails to recognize the realities of today’s Internet. We’ve explained a few ways to strengthen enforcement to better protect competition and consumer welfare. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/antitrust-enforcement-needs-evolve-21st-century

Hosting an event in your community to share information about digital rights? It’s easier than it might sound. These tips might help. https://www.eff.org/electronic-frontier-alliance/events-tips

If Congress is able to rewrite patent laws this year, it will throw out software developers’ best defenses against patent trolls. Tell them to stop. https://act.eff.org/action/tell-congress-we-don-t-need-more-bad-patents-8941b5c6-5bb1-4d93-9ca1-a2da87c4458e

"Political neutrality has never been part of C.D.A. 230, and to make it so would require a complete overhaul of the law." @sarahjeong clears up the recent misinformation about Section 230, the most important law protecting online speech. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/opinion/section-230-political-neutrality.html

Join this livestreamed talk on 8/13 on how the Internet has been used to suppress freedom and revolution in the Middle East & North Africa, hosted by Electronic Frontier Alliance group @EFFAustin. https://twitter.com/EFFaustin/status/1154794777101164544

Most of California's telecom laws have passed at the behest of the large ISPs and the result has been, per government data, a broadband market that hurts consumers. https://eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/thank-laws-att-and-comcast-support-californias-broadband-monopoly-problem

“It’s such a moving target, choosing the right VPN," says EFF's Associate Director of Research, @jenuhhveev. “More often than not, [they] just shift your risk.” https://time.com/5622139/best-vpn/

RT @eff: One grabbed my info
One tracked my data
And one showed me ads
Now, there’s this ad ID
I've checked the opt-out
But that doesn’t do…

Last week's FTC-Facebook settlement is grossly inadequate to the task of protecting consumer data privacy from Facebook’s surveillance-based system of social networking and targeted advertising. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/ftc-facebook-settlement-does-too-little-protect-your-privacy

Need a weekend read?

Thanks to the generosity of @mcsweeneys and the authors, The End of Trust, the first all-nonfiction McSweeney's issue, focusing on technology, privacy, and surveillance, is free to download under a @creativecommons license. https://www.eff.org/the-end-of-trust