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In our 569th issue:
In last week's Senate Judiciary Hearing, FBI Director
Robert Meuller testified that he was "not aware" of any
negative reports or abuse of the three expiring PATRIOT Act
provisions. Well, Director Mueller -- EFF is aware of some.
We issued a FOIA request for records of intelligence
violations stemming from the FBI's use of the expiring
provisions. By comparing two sets of FOIA documents we
received, the murky details of at least one violation
became clear: FBI agents, using a "John Doe" roving
wiretap, monitored the conversations of "young children"
for "approximately" five days.
Your cell phone company knows everywhere you go, 24 hours a
day, every day. Malte Spitz, a German politician and
privacy advocate, found out just what that meant. He used
German privacy law to force his cell phone carrier to
reveal what it knew about him. The result? 35,831 different
facts about his cell phone use over the course of six
months. Zeit Online used it to prepare a remarkable
interactive map, which animates Spitz's movements, moment
by moment, over the course of half a year.
As many -- EFF included -- have been saying for years,
filesharing is not the reason the recording industry has
fallen on hard financial times. In fact, the recording
industry's complaints that the sky is falling really only
apply to the recording industry. Musicians and fans, on the
other hand, have seen increased music purchases, increased
artist salaries, and more music available than ever before.
Two new reports further debunk the recording industry's
myth.
EFF is pleased to support California Senator Leland Yee's
introduction of the Reader Privacy Act of 2011 (SB 602).
The law would bring a much-needed upgrade to match
Californians' reading habits. Under SB 602 the government
and other third parties would need a warrant or court order
for access to sensitive reading records. This would
establish protections for book records -- both e-books and
in physical bookstores -- in line with long-established
protections for library records and other expressive
material.
EFF Updates
Mobile Carrier Delays Harm Internet Security
By delaying or even blocking security updates for mobile
devices, mobile carriers put their users, their business,
and the country's critical infrastructure at unnecessary
risk.
House Oversight Committee Investigates DHS FOIA
Practices -- EFF's Requests Were Singled Out
Congress is investigating an issue we raised last October
-- that the Department of Homeland Security is targeting
certain Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests -- such
as those from activist groups, watchdog organizations, and
journalists -- for an extra layer of review by
politically-appointed officials.
Judge Stays Discovery in OpenMind v. Does
Good news! Responding to EFF's brief, a judge in a
copyright troll suit stayed discovery, meaning ISPs need
not comply with the subpoenas sent out by OpenMind's
attorney, John Steele.
Microsoft Shuts off HTTPS in Hotmail for Over a Dozen Countries
Microsoft denies deliberately blocking HTTPS access to Hotmail in over a dozen countries on March 25th, blaming
the problem on a bug.
EFF Urges Council of Europe to Ensure Privacy, Transparency, and Freedom of Expression in Search Engine Guidelines
Search engines play a central role as intermediaries -- entrusted with connecting the public with information while
being privy to unique insights into the views and interests
of users. EFF urged the Council of Europe to protect user
rights, including privacy and free speech, in its search
engine guidelines.
"Operation in Our Sites" Moves Ahead
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is stepping up
intellectual property–related enforcement, launching almost
half as many cases in the past two months as it had in
total in 2010.
Where's EFF? Why EFF Is Sometimes Quiet About Important
Cases
Whether it's attacks on coders' rights, overreaching
copyright claims online, or governments' efforts to censor
or spy on people, EFF is often the first place people turn
to for information about troubling events online. Here's
why we sometimes don't make public comments about breaking
cases.
miniLinks
Play Games, Help EFF
Cheers to indie game developers and Henko! Half of the
donations from this game will benefit EFF. Download, play,
and feel good about helping digital rights.
Congress Eyes Cell Phone Tracking
An article on cell phone tracking in the New York Times
prompts Congress to demand answers from cell carriers
(finally!).
The State of Do Not Track on the Internet
Do Not Track offers a method for users to protect their
privacy without having to turn off advertisements entirely.
Job Opportunities
Development Director
EFF is seeking a highly experienced development director to
lead us into the next phase of our organizational
expansion. The right candidate has a proven track record of
doing prospect cultivation and stewardship, as well as
identifying potential foundation funding sources and
editing grant proposals and reports. He or she must have
experience managing membership acquisition and growing a
membership base. Experience running a capital campaign
and/or planned giving campaign is highly desirable. At
least five years of experience managing a development team
is required, as is a seasoned knowledge of fundraising best
practices.
Because our donor base comes from the world of high tech,
the best candidate will understand the tech community. In
addition, a firm grounding in civil liberties, such as
freedom of speech and privacy, is highly preferred.
Administrivia
ISSN 1062-9424
EFFector is a publication of
the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
454
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Editor:
Rainey Reitman, Activist
editor@eff.org
Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org
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Announcements
ACTION! Tell Obama to Fight for PATRIOT Act Reform!
Join us! On April 5, call the White House and tell
President Obama to keep his campaign promises by vetoing
any PATRIOT Act renewal bill that lacks substantial new
checks and balances to protect the privacy of innocent
Americans. RSVP now!
ACTION! Don't Let TPP Become the Next ATCTA
Like ACTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is being
negotiated in secret, and on a fast timetable. Contact your
lawmakers and demand transparency!
RoboGames
Visit our friends at RoboGames -- the Olympics of robots!
The organizers are inviting the best minds from around the
world to compete in over 50 different events: combat
robots, fire-fighters, LEGO bots, hockey bots, walking
humanoids, soccer bots, sumo bots, and even androids that
do kung-fu.
Location: San Mateo, CA
Date: April 15-17, 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 at LinuxFest Northwest
Hear Senior Staff Technologist Seth Schoen at the 12th
annual LinuxFest Northwest! This great community event is
free and open to the public.
Location: Bellingham, WA
Date: April 30-May 1, 2011
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