EFFector Vol. 22, No. 15  May 22, 2009 editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

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In our 509th issue:

* A JUDGE HAS ORDERED POLICE TO RETURN A LAPTOP AND OTHER
PROPERTY SEIZED FROM A BOSTON COLLEGE COMPUTER SCIENCE
STUDENT'S DORM ROOM after finding there was no probable
cause to search the room in the first place. The police
were investigating whether the student sent hoax emails
about another student.

EFF and Boston law firm Fish and Richardson are
representing the computer science student, who was forced
to complete much of the final month of the semester without
his computer, phone, and network access in the wake of the
now-rejected search.

For the full press release:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/05/22

For more on this case:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/mass-sjc-tosses-calixte-warrant

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EFF Updates

* Six Simple Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Gripe Site
EFF has released a guide to help critics and parodists, who
are all too often struck down by the targets of their
parody with accusations of copyright or trademark
infringement.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/six-simple-steps-you

* Recommendations for Web Measurement on Government
Websites
The Center for Democracy and Technology and EFF have
released a document recommending repairs to the federal
guidelines that regulate the use of cookies and other
"persistent tracking technologies" on government websites.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/recommendations-web

* Administration Introduces New Websites
The Obama Administration has launched several websites to
further its commitment to improving transparency and
encouraging citizen participation in government.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/administration-open-government-websites

* Victory for Location Privacy in New York GPS Tracking
Case
The highest court in New York has ruled that police may not
use a GPS device to track the movements of your vehicle
without first getting a warrant.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/victory-location-pri

* 3 Strikes for Print: A Modest Proposal From Ed Felten
In the tradition of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal,"
EFF board member and Princeton Computer Science Prof. Ed
Felten has written an essay in response to the recently
passed "3 strikes" legislation in France.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/3-strikes-modest-pro

* Right-to-Repair Law Proposed ... for Cars
The problem that the new law attempts to fix is the direct
result of the use of computers in cars, accompanied by
proprietary diagnostic tools and "lock-out codes." Sound
familiar?
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/right-repair-law-pro

* Danger Mouse Releases a Blank CD-R
Danger Mouse is apparently counting on the fact that it's
the fans, not record labels like EMI, who have the upper
hand in the digital age.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/danger-mouse-inducem

* Apple vs. Blasphemy (and Innovation)
Two more interesting applications have been blocked by
Apple in its quixotic quest to police what users can think
and do while using their iPhones.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/apple-vs-blasphemy

* Craigslist Demands Apology
Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster posted a strongly-worded
response to South Carolina Attorney General Henry
McMaster's ongoing legally-baseless threats to bring
criminal charges against him and founder Craig Newmark.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/craigslist-demands-apology

* AGs' Bogus Threats Hit Their Mark
Disappointingly, craigslist has given in to pressure from
law enforcement officials and agreed to remove the "erotic
services" section from its site.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/ags-bogus-threats-hi

* Why Video Remix Creators Need a DMCA Exemption
If you are a vidder, a movie trailer mashup creator,
YouTube movie critic, or anyone else who needs to take
clips from DVDs in order to make an original remix video,
you might be interested in the hearings held last week
before the U.S. Copyright Office.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/why-video-remix-crea

* White House Photos Update
The photos by official White House photographer Pete Souza
are now identified on Flickr as "United States Government
Works," along with a link to the U.S. Copyright Office page
quoting Title 17 of the United States Code.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/05/white-house-photos-u

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miniLinks

~ The FCC's Warrantless Searches
Wired's Threat Level reports that the FCC claims the right
to enter and inspect any wireless device.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/fcc-raid/

~ IBM Unveils Real-Time Datamining Software
The new software does "stream processing," allowing
researchers to combine data from various sources to find
patterns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/technology/business-computing/21stream.html

~ Protect Newspapers -- by Destroying the Internet?
A recent Washington Post opinion piece argued that the
searching and indexing of newspaper articles amounts to
copyright infringement. Art Brodsky begs to differ.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-brodsky/oh-the-hypocrisy-first-am_b_204809.html

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Announcements

* Help EFF Go to DEFCON!

EFF is looking for donations of airline tickets and hotel
points for the DEFCON hacking conference, as well as other
conferences and speaking engagements. If you have enough
airline miles for a free ticket and would like to send an
EFF staffer to a conference, let us know, and we will help
you with the process of making the reservation. Please note
that at this time, we are unable to combine miles from
multiple individuals.  We are also looking for hotel
rewards points to help reduce our overall travel costs.

In exchange for a ticket or hotel stay, we can offer a free
membership and a mention in EFFector (if you'd like).
Please contact aaron@eff.org if you have a ticket to
donate.

* EFF at Maker Faire Bay Area
EFF will have a table at Maker Faire Bay Area. Come say
hello!
http://www.makerfaire.com/

May 30-31
San Mateo County Expo Center & Fairgrounds
San Mateo, California

Expo Hours
Saturday, May 30: 10am - 8PM
Sunday, May 31: 10am - 6PM

Also, be sure to check out artist and EFF supporter Suzanne
Forbes at the Steampunk Encampment.
http://www.makerfaire.com/pub/e/2440

* Nominate a Pioneer for EFF's 2009 Pioneer Awards!

EFF established the Pioneer Awards to recognize leaders on
the electronic frontier who are extending freedom and
innovation in the realm of information technology. This is
your opportunity to nominate a deserving individual or
group to receive a Pioneer Award for 2009.

The International Pioneer Awards nominations are open both
to individuals and organizations from any country.
Nominations are reviewed by a panel of judges chosen for
their knowledge of the technical, legal, and social issues
associated with information technology.

How to Nominate Someone for a 2009 Pioneer Award:

You may send as many nominations as you wish, but please
use one email per nomination. Please submit your entries
via email to pioneer@eff.org. We will accept nominations
until July 15, 2009.

Simply tell us:

1. The name of the nominee,

2. The phone number, email address or website by which the
nominee can be reached, and, most importantly,

3. Why you feel the nominee deserves the award.

Nominee Criteria:

There are no specific categories for the EFF Pioneer
Awards, but the following guidelines apply:

1. The nominees must have contributed substantially to the
health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of computer-based
communications.

2. To be valid, all nominations must contain your reason,
however brief, for nominating the individual or
organization and a means of contacting the nominee. In
addition, while anonymous nominations will be accepted,
ideally we'd like to contact the nominating parties in case
we need further information.

3. The contribution may be technical, social, economic, or
cultural.

4. Nominations may be of individuals, systems, or
organizations in the private or public sectors.

5. Nominations are open to all (other than current members
of EFF's staff and operating board or this year's award
judges), and you may nominate more than one recipient. You
may also nominate yourself or your organization.

6. Persons or representatives of organizations receiving an
EFF Pioneer Award will be invited to attend the ceremony at
EFF's expense.

More on the EFF Pioneer Awards:
http://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/

* Intern Opportunity!
EFF is looking for a summer intern to help in our
development and media departments.  This is an unpaid,
full-time position.

Projects will include:
-Working on our annual report and contacting major donors
and foundations (40% of time);
-Assisting with membership fulfillment and bulk mailing
(40% of time); and
-Identifying and organizing press clippings (20% of time).

Excellent writing and editing skills, strong organizational
abilities, and the capacity to take instruction and run
with it is a must. Interest in development and/or public
relations as a career is a plus, as is knowledge and
familiarity with EFF's issues.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and writing
sample to: alyssa@eff.org

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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

To support EFF:
secure.eff.org/donate

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries:
information@eff.org

Back issues of EFFector are available at:
http://www.eff.org/effector/