EFFector Vol. 21, No. 22  July 3, 2008  editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

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In our 475th issue:

* ACTION ALERT: CELEBRATE THE 4TH BY TELLING YOUR SENATORS,
"DON'T SHRED THE CONSTITUTION -- REJECT TELECOM IMMUNITY!"
Now that the House has passed the FISA Amendments Act
(FAA), the Senate is the last front remaining in the battle
against granting immunity to telecom lawbreakers. When the
Senate reconvenes early next week, every vote counts. This
may be the last chance to urge your Senators to vote
against the FISA Amendments Act and to support key
amendments that would eliminate or weaken telecom immunity
provisions. Contact your Senators today!
http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=389

* BREAKING NEWS: COURT HOLDS THAT FISA PREEMPTS THE STATE
SECRETS PRIVILEGE. Yesterday, Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of
the Northern District of California issued an opinion in Al
Haramain v. Bush, one of the cases challenging the NSA
warrantless wiretapping program. The Court held that FISA
preempts the state secrets privilege and that the
President's authorities under Article II of the
Constitution do not give him the power to overrule FISA.
This decision dramatically undermines key arguments for
telecom immunity on the eve of the Senate vote on the FISA
bill, set for next week.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/07/new-decision-immunity-myths

* IN THE ONGOING EFFORT TO PROTECT TRAVELERS' PRIVACY, EFF
filed suit on behalf of a member of the European Parliament
demanding the release of personal records gathered during
her international travels. The US government has repeatedly
claimed that any person can obtain her records through a
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request -- but so far the
agencies have failed to comply with the requests as
required by federal law. The EFF lawsuit was filed mere
days after the disclosure that the US and the European
Union may soon finalize an agreement authorizing the
exchange of large amounts of personal data.
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/07/01

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EFF Updates

* Check the Deeplinks blog for analysis of the latest
efforts to stop telecom immunity.

~ A Brief Reprieve on FISA: What Now?
With mere days until the Senate is scheduled to vote on the
FISA Amendments Act, EFF takes a look at three tactics that
could help change the game.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/06/what-now

~ EFF Supports Senator Bingaman's Immunity Amendment:
Congress Should Know What It Is Immunizing
One particular amendment to the FISA Amendments Act could
be a game-changer that prevents Congress from granting
immunity in the dark.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/06/bingaman-amendment

~ Senator Hatch and Tinfoil Hats
Supporters of the flawed surveillance bill have resorted to
name-calling, as seen in this odd statement from the Senate
floor.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/07/senator-hatch-tinfoil-hats

* Court Ruling Will Expose Viewing Habits of YouTube Users
In the Viacom v. Google case, the court has ordered Google
to produce data from video viewing logs.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/07/court-ruling-will-expose-viewing-habits-youtube-us

* Legal Filesharing on Campus?
Recent UC Berkeley School of Information graduates Matt
Earp and Andrew McDiarmid have produced an excellent
masters thesis on how a legal, university-based filesharing
system might work.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/07/how-make-filesharing-legal

* Surveilling Drivers for Safety, for the Environment, and
for Profit
There is a growing movement to surveil the drivers of cars
-- for insurance purposes.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/06/surveilling-drivers

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miniLinks

~ Is the Gov't Tracking Us Through Our Cellphones? Lawsuit
Seeks Answers
A lawsuit brought by EFF and the ACLU seeks to force
release of documents on cellphone tracking.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/is-the-government-tracking-us-through-our-cellphones-lawsuit-seeks-answers/

~ Warning to Copyright Enforcement Nuts: 3 Strikes and
*You're* Out
EFF Fellow Cory Doctorow has a modest proposal to punish
serial abusers of copyright law.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/01/internet.copyright

~ RIAA Requests Internet Filtering in International Treaty
The ACTA treaty is too secret for the public to see, but
the RIAA has been able to make suggestions -- including
gutting "safe harbor" provisions that protect ISPs.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080630-inside-the-riaas-acta-wishlist.html

For more miniLinks:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/07/minilinks-2008-07-02

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Announcements

* Stop by the EFF Booth at the O'Reilly Open Source
Convention (OSCON)
Now in its tenth year, OSCON is a vibrant meeting ground
for the open source community, taking place on July 21-25
at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Oregon.
http://en.oreilly.com/oscon2008/public/content/home

* Visit EFF at the 2008 Usenix Security Symposium
Join us in San Jose, CA, July 28 - August 1, for the 17th
USENIX Security Symposium. 
http://www.usenix.org/events/sec08/sec08.html

* EFF is IN at Black Hat USA 2008!
Stop by our booth at Black Hat USA, August 2-7 in Las
Vegas, the world's premier technical security conference.
EFF members receive a $100 discount off the prevailing
registration rate by inserting BHUS8SUAS in the box marked
"coupon" on the web registration page!
http://www.blackhat.com/

* Visit EFF at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo from
August 4-7
Thinking about going to the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo
in San Francisco? You can use the priority code "VPL616"
for a Free Exhibit Hall Pass or 20% off the conference
package of your choice. Stop by our booth to say hello and
update your membership!
http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/live/12/

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Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
 http://www.eff.org/about

Editor:
Richard Esguerra, EFF Activist
 richard@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/