EFFector Vol. 16, No. 33 November 23, 2003
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
In the 272nd Issue of EFFector:
- Secretary of State Shelley Announces E-Voting Machine Requirement: California Takes Lead in Protecting Democratic Voting
- Court Hears Case on Recording Industry Threats: PacBell ISP Defends Customers' Privacy
- Slim Devices to Donate 10% of Net Profits to EFF
- It's a Banner Day for EFF: Help Spread the Word!
- Deep Links (9): Rep. Kucinich Speaks Out on E-Voting
- Staff Calendar: 12.02.03 - Gwen Hinze speaks at Haas School of Business, Berkeley, CA.; 12.05.03 - Wendy Seltzer speaks at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA.
- Administrivia
Secretary of State Shelley Announces E-Voting Machine Requirement
California Takes Lead in Protecting Democratic Voting
Sacramento, CA - Responding to a raft of reports detailing flaws in electronic voting systems, California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley this week announced that he is requiring all electronic voting systems purchased by California counties to provide a paper printout that would allow voters to verify their votes and auditors to verify election results.
The Secretary of State is responsible for certifying all voting machines used for elections within the state of California. EFF has urged election officials and legislators to require that electronic voting machines use publicly reviewed software and generate a paper record, giving voters the ability to verify their votes as well as creating a "paper trail" for potential recounts.
"Secretary of State Shelley has taken a courageous and important step in response to the growing public concern about the security of voting machines," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn. "Paper audit trails are currently the best way to prevent anyone from bungling or stealing our elections."
"We hope that California can continue to lead the country and the world in implementing secure electronic voting standards," added EFF Activist Ren Bucholz.
"By requiring a voter-verified paper trail, the Secretary of State has taken a critical step toward preserving the integrity of the voting process in the wake of new technologies that change the ways in which we vote," commented California Voter Foundation President Kim Alexander.
Links:
- For the full media release
- California Secretary of State statement on e-voting paper trail requirement
- EFF national action alert on e-voting
- EFF E-Voting page
- EFF and Stanford law clinic sue Diebold electronic voting company
Media coverage:
Court Hears Case on Recording Industry Threats
PacBell ISP Defends Customers' Privacy
San Francisco - In a hearing Friday, Pacific Bell Internet Services defended the privacy of its Internet service customers in the wake of legal threats by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
EFF, the ACLU, and 15 other consumer, child safety, and privacy organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of PacBell in its struggle to protect users' privacy after the RIAA issued non-judicial subpoenas under section 512(h) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). These subpoenas require no judicial oversight or lawsuit before an Internet user's name, address and phone number are turned over to anyone claiming to be a copyright holder.
"PacBell has resisted the RIAA's reckless subpoenas because they have a legitimate interest in protecting their customers' privacy," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn.
The ACLU/EFF brief argues that, in addition to the problems raised by PacBell, section 512(h) does not provide sufficient due process for Internet users. "This provision is so devoid of procedural protections that it is an invitation to mistake and abuse," the brief asserts.
Links:
- For the full media advisory
- ACLU/EFF amicus brief in PacBell case (Adobe PDF format)
- EFF "RIAA v. the People" archive of litigation spawned by RIAA attacks on Internet users
Media coverage:
- www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113597,00.asp
- news.com.com/2100-1027-5110775.html
- www.infoworld.com/article/03/11/21/HNpacbell_1.html
Slim Devices to Donate 10% of Net Profits to EFF
Defending Online Rights Is Corporate Responsibility
Mountain View, CA - Slim Devices, Inc., announced this week a wide-ranging relationship with EFF to support and promote the foundation's work to its customers.
"Every day the digital rights of citizens are under attack by special interests that want to protect antiquated business models rather than embrace the opportunities created by new technologies," said Sean Adams, president of Slim Devices, Inc. "EFF is at the forefront of this consumer rights issue, and we are pleased to do our part by mobilizing our customers. We hope that this will encourage other corporations to actively protect the digital rights of their customers."
Slim Devices' support of EFF includes donating 10% of net profits generated from sales its new product, the Squeezebox(TM) network MP3 player, through the www.slimdevices.com website.
"It's great to see companies like Slim Devices show corporate leadership and take an active interest in protecting the rights of their customers," said Shari Steele, Executive Director of EFF. "We hope they can help us bring together more companies to expand this outreach in a systematic manner."
Links:
- For the full media release
- To learn more about Slim Devices' partnership with EFF, visit the company's website
It's a Banner Day for EFF: Help Spread the Word!
Looking for a fun, easy way to help EFF fight for your digital rights? Show the online community that you support EFF by grabbing one of our cool news banners for your website or weblog! It only takes a few minutes and helps EFF spread the word about the importance of defending our fundamental freedoms online.
Links:
Deep Links
Deep Links features noteworthy news items from around the Internet.
- Los Alamos Pulls Plug on E-Voting Purchase
The community that brought us the atom bomb is scared of e-voting machines. Anyone else nervous? - Too Quick to Copyright
Legal Times article pointing out the hypocrisy of corporations accusing file sharers of a lack of respect for copyright law when they themselves routinely flout it - by laying claim to material that is free for everyone to use. - Australian Court Gives Students Jail Time for Violating Music Copyrights
Two students were sentenced to 18 months in prison for copyright violations - but because of their youth and the fact they never profited from the infringement, the sentences have been suspended. - Rep. Kucinich Speaks Out on E-Voting
He blasts Diebold's copyright claims, calls for increased e-voting security and supports the Holt bill. Kucinich should start a voting machine company if he doesn't become the next president. - Sharing Music the Old Fashioned Way
Some Apple iPod owners are stopping each other on the street, wordlessly exchanging headphone jacks, and then proceeding on to their destinations. - Sad Day for Music Lovers: MP3.com to Destroy Library
MP3.com, digital music pioneer, will delete from its servers hundreds of thousands of songs and destroy the original tapes, CD-ROMs, and other media. - Gold Records, Glass Houses
A survey of Australian music professionals reveals that 45% download music from the Internet - and half never pay for it. - Three Republicans Sign E-Voting Bill
The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act has 74 co-sponsors, but it didn't have any Republican support until now. We hope the dam is breaking. - U.S. Fails in Hemisphere-Wide Push for Restrictive IP Policy (NYT; registration unfortunately required.)
And instead chooses to pick off Central and South American countries one-by-one, using smaller, nastier treaties.
Staff Calendar
For a complete listing of EFF speaking engagements (with locations and times), please visit: http://www.eff.org/calendar/- December 2 - Gwen Hinze will be speaking on file-sharing issues at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley, CA. - 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- December 5 - Wendy Seltzer will be speaking at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School Cambridge, MA. - 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Administrivia
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