In our 637th issue:
Congress Wants to Make CFAA Penalities
Worse -- We Need to Stop Them
Change your Twitter icon to join the cause.
Last week, Congress put forth a bill that
would dangerously expand computer crime law to double or even triple the
penalties prosecutors could use to threaten computer users -- people like
digital rights activist Aaron Swartz. We've got to stop them and tell them this
law needs real reform to protect visionary, talented, justice-driven
individuals like Aaron. We're pulling out all the stops this week, and we need
your help. We need the Internet to speak out with a voice so loud legislators
have no choice but to listen.
Here's the game plan:
- We have built a Twitter tool
that helps you to tweet at legislators. Staffers count these messages, so
please tweet lots.
- Call the House Judiciary Committee.
We've collected
their numbers and prepared an easy-to-follow script for the phone
call. If you've never called your legislators before, today is the day to
start.
- Change your Twitter icon to reflect
that you're taking part in this cause. We've created an image that can help spread the
word.
- Finally, if you haven't yet, please
take our
action alert to e-mail Congress about the specific changes we'd like
to see in a reformed CFAA.
Congress can't get this right unless they hear from you.
Please join us in taking action today.
Busting Myths from CISPA Supporters
Supporters of CISPA, the so-called
"cybersecurity bill," have promoted it with craftily worded or just
plain misleading claims. To stop this type of misinformation -- and to stop
CISPA -- we urge you to tell your members of Congress to stand up for
privacy. We've collected some of the most egregious myths put forward by CISPA
supporters and explained why these claims are false.
App Developers: Lodsys
is Back. It's Time to Beat this Troll.
It's been nearly two years since we first
reported about Lodsys, the patent troll who targeted app developers. You might
remember that Lodsys had actually filed lawsuits against some app developers in
Texas; that case is slowly moving forward. Now it appears that Lodsys sued at
least ten more app developers -- many smaller players along with larger ones
such as Walt Disney.
EFF Updates
A "Hollywood Ambassador" Would Make Bad
Copyright Trade Policy Even Worse
Copyright laws that represent the one-sided
concerns of Hollywood at the expense of the broader public interest do not
belong in trade agreements. Yet just days after dozens of public interest
groups around the world issued a statement on this issue, a senator with
longstanding ties to the entertainment industry introduced a misguided bill
that would create a new position for a "Chief Innovation and Intellectual
Property Negotiator" -- in other words, an Ambassador from Hollywood, paid
for by the general public.
Are You A Teenager Who
Reads News Online? According to the Justice Department, You May Be a Criminal
The Departments of Justice (DOJ) of both the
Bush and Obama administrations have embraced an expansive interpretation of the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act that would literally make it a crime for many kids
to read the news online. Specifically, the DOJ has taken the position that a
violation of a website's Terms of Service can be treated as a criminal act. For
a number of reasons, including the requirements of the Children’s Online
Privacy Protection Act, many news sites have terms of service that prohibit
minors from using their interactive services and sometimes even visiting their
websites.
Let's face it: most of us have no idea how
companies are gathering and sharing our personal data. So what can we do about
it? A new proposal in California -- supported by a diverse coalition including
EFF and the ACLU of Northern California -- is fighting to bring transparency
and access to the seedy underbelly of digital data exchanges. The Right to Know
Act gives users access to the personal data a company has stored on them, as
well as a list of all the other companies with whom that original company has
shared the users' personal data.
Victory for Aereo, TV Watchers, and Innovation Without
Permission
The federal appeals court in New York has
affirmed that Internet streaming service Aereo is not infringing copyright when
it enables users to stream broadcast TV to Internet devices. The Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the trial court's decision not to shut
down Aereo while the case is pending. This decision is a win for Aereo, its
customers, and for future innovators with the audacity to improve the
TV-watching experience without permission from copyright owners.
Korean Lawmakers and
Human Rights Experts Challenge Three Strikes Law
In July 2009, South Korea became the first
country to introduce a graduated response or "three strikes" law.
There is no judicial process, no court of appeal, and no opportunity to
challenge the accusers. This entertainment industry experiment in Internet
enforcement has been a failure. So now Korea's National Human Rights Commission
has recommended that the three strikes law be re-examined, given its unclear
benefits, and its potential violation of the human rights to receive and impart
information and to participate in the cultural life of the community.
Copyright Trolls Offer
No Defense to Frustrated Federal Judge
A
federal judge in Los Angeles showed little restraint in expressing his
frustration with the "attorney misconduct" he's identified by the
prominent copyright trolls behind Prenda Law. When none of the attorneys at the
hearing would offer testimony, Judge Otis D. Wright, II, adjourned the
highly-anticipated hearing after only 12 minutes.
miniLinks
Boing Boing:
"Today, we save the Internet (again): fix the CFAA!"
Longtime friend of EFF Cory Doctorow
explains -- as only he can -- why some new CFAA proposals are truly disastrous,
and what we all must do to stop them.
A
major reason to reform laws like the CFAA and DMCA is that they criminalize
lots of things most people don't think are "bad" or
"illegal" -- including some things that tech reporters don't even
mind writing in the newspaper about doing.
Wired: "Finally:
This is how to fix the 'patent fix' we’re all in"
EFF
Staff Attorney Julie P. Samuels writes in Wired about how the patent system is
hindering innovation, and what we can do to fix it.
Supported by Members
Our members make it possible for EFF to
bring legal and technological expertise into crucial battles about online rights.
Whether defending free speech online or challenging unconstitutional
surveillance, your participation makes a difference. Every donation gives
technology users who value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable
advocate.
If
you aren't already, please consider becoming an EFF member today.
Administrivia
Editor:
Parker Higgins, Activist
[email protected]
EFFector is a publication of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation.
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