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[Bazza]

EFFector Vol. 24, No. 37 Wednesday November 23, 2011 editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.

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In our 592nd issue:

* An Explosion of Opposition to the Internet Blacklist Bill

On the eve of the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on
the Stop Internet Piracy Act, a broad group of tech
companies, lawmakers, experts, professors, and rights
groups came out against the bill. The statements, written
by people from a variety of backgrounds and political
persuasions, incorporate many of the same broad themes:
SOPA will threaten perfectly legal websites, stifle
innovation, kill jobs, and substantially disrupt the
infrastructure of the Internet.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/e ... klist-bill

* What's On the Blacklist? Three Sites That SOPA Could Put
at Risk

Proponents of the latest disastrous IP bill, SOPA, insist
it only targets the "worst of the worst." But the broad
definitions and vague language in the bill could place
dangerous tools into the hands of IP rightsholders, with
little opportunity for judicial oversight. One very
possible outcome is many of the lawful sites you know and
love will face new legal threats. Here's a look at three
that are at great risk: Vimeo, Etsy, and Flickr.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/w ... d-put-risk

* Sovereign Keys: A Proposal to Make HTTPS and Email More
Secure

EFF is introducing a new proposal called "Sovereign Keys,"
which is intended to systematically fix weaknesses in the
way that encrypted Internet protocols perform
authentication. The Sovereign Keys design would allow
clients and servers to use cryptographic protocols without
having to depend on any third parties.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/s ... ore-secure

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EFF Updates

* EFF Celebrates the 2011 Pioneer Award Winners
EFF recognized the accomplishments of U.S. Senator Ron
Wyden, encryption expert Ian Goldberg, and influential
Tunisian blog Nawaat.org at the 20th annual Pioneer Awards
Ceremony in San Francisco. EFF established the Pioneer
Awards in 1992 to recognize leaders on the electronic
frontier who are extending freedom and innovation in the
realm of information technology.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/p ... rd-winners

* Righthaven Case Ends in Victory for Fair Use
The publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Stephens
Media, filed papers conceding that posting a short excerpt
of a news article in an online forum is not copyright
infringement. The concession will result in the entry of a
judgment of non-infringement in a long-running copyright
troll case that sparked the dismissal of dozens of baseless
lawsuits filed by Righthaven LLC.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/righ ... y-fair-use

* Hollywood's New War on Software Freedom and Internet
Innovation
One of the most under-reported, dangerous consequences of
SOPA will be its effect on software developers. Do you
write or distribute any kind of VPN, proxy, privacy or
anonymization software? If SOPA passes, you might find
yourself in a legal fight with the Attorney General.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/h ... innovation

* Who's Missing From The House's SOPA Hearing? A Short List
The House Judiciary Committee hearing on SOPA could have
been an opportunity for Americans to hear from a variety of
stakeholders, but unfortunately, it devolved into a parade
of pro-SOPA partisans. Five witnesses testified about their
support of the bill while only one witness, a
representative of Google, testified about the bill's many
drawbacks. In case you are wondering who the Committee
should have been hearing from, here is a small sampling of
the stakeholders that deserve a seat at the negotiating
table.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/w ... short-list

* EFF Asks Supreme Court to End the FCC’s Indecency
Regulations
EFF recently submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court
in FCC v. Fox, which asks the Court to declare
unconstitutional the FCC’s heavy-handed and outdated
indecency policy for broadcast TV. This is not an issue
that draws down political lines — both right and left can
agree the First Amendment belongs to all mediums. In 2011,
there is simply no reason for the court not to give
broadcast television the full First Amendment protection
provided to the Internet.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/e ... egulations

* The Intelligence Oversight Board Has Members - But We Had
to Sue the Government to Find Out
The Intelligence Oversight Board is a
presidentially-appointed, independent, civilian oversight
board charged with ensuring that intelligence
investigations comply with the rule of law, yet until
recently, its members were kept secret by the government.
In September, EFF sued the Director of National
Intelligence for failing to respond to to our Freedom of
Information request for the list of members. Here's what we
found out.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/i ... ue-federal

* The DAA's Self-Regulatory Principles Fall Far Short of Do
Not Track
The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), as association of 6
online advertising groups, published a set of
Self-Regulatory Principles for Multi-Site Data. These
principles are designed to cover data collection above and
beyond the standards the group adopted for behavioral
advertising. While the new standards offer the potential
to improve transparency and user choice in some instances,
the language of the standards is loose enough to allow many
of the concerning practices to continue unabated. And, as
is often the case with self-regulatory models, the DAA’s
new standards won’t be enforced.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/d ... -not-track

* No Room for Free Expression in Egypt
When Hosni Mubarak was ousted from the Egyptian presidency
in February, Egypt's revolutionaries saw a new beginning:
an Egypt in which individual rights — including the right
to free expression — would be respected. Just nine
months later, with several prominent bloggers languishing
in prison and countless other civilians tried by military
courts for protesting, the future looks bleak.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/n ... sion-egypt

* This Week in Internet Censorship: SOPA, UAE Bloggers on
Hunger Strike, Chilean Sites Attacked
This week EFF looks at SOPA's effects on the international
community; Emirati blogger Ahmed Mansour, who is on a
hunger strike in prison; and several news sites in Chile
which have been hit with cyber attacks amid ongoing student
protests.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/w ... -uae-chile

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miniLinks

~ State Department Not for Internet Freedom
In an op-ed for Al-Jazeera, EFF's Trevor Timm argues the
Stop Internet Piracy act threatens the legality of many
State Department funded Internet Freedom programs.
http://aljazeera.co.uk/indepth/opinion/ ... 01243.html

~ Why All Filmmakers Should Speak Out Against SOPA
Filmmaker Ross Prudin explains why he and many of his peers
are against the Stop Internet Piracy Act.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201111 ... sopa.shtml

~ A Historic Thing
Tumblr mobilizes its users to call Congress to oppose SOPA
and amazingly generates more than 87,000 calls in 24 hours.
http://staff.tumblr.com/post/1293007612 ... oric-thing

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Announcements

* EFF Mourns the Passing of Ilya Zhitomirskiy
EFF mourns the passing of Ilya Zhitomirskiy, the
22-year-old co-founder of the Diaspora* project. His role
at Diaspora*, a social network designed to preserve users'
freedom, was just one of many expressions of his belief
that a free and open Internet can improve people's lives.
Ilya was a friend to the EFF community, and a consistent
supporter of its goals; we will miss his passion, his
dedication, and his enthusiasm.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/e ... itomirskiy

* LISA: 25th Large Installation System Administration
Conference
This year marks the 25th LISA, an amazing meeting place for
system, network, database, and other computer
administrators and engineers from all over the globe. EFF's
Development Associate, Kellie Brownell, will be in the
Exhibition room December 7th and 8th.<br>Date: December
6-8, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
https://www.eff.org/calendar/2011/12/06 ... nistration

* Securing Our Rights in the Information-Sharing Era
Mark Rumold is speaking on FOIA Case Studies: Using the
Freedom of Information Act to Push for Policy Change;
Jennifer Lynch is speaking on Technology: Biometrics,
Databases, and DNA Collection; Rainey Reitman is speaking
on Getting Our Message Out...and Right: A Communications
Skills Building Workshop.
Date: December 1-2, 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
https://www.eff.org/event/securing-our- ... haring-era

* Open Source and Free Software 2011: Benefits, Risks and
Challenges
EFF Staff Attorney Julie Samuels will discuss Patents and
Standards in an Open Source World, covering patent
provisions in open source licenses, protecting open source
projects from patents, recent patent litigation and
legislation.
Date: December 7, 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
https://www.eff.org/event/open-source-a ... challenges

* NIST: Meeting on Privacy-Enhancing Cryptography
EFF Senior Staff Technologist Seth Schoen is participating
in this event. Check out the event website to learn more
and register.
Date: December 8-9, 2011
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
https://www.eff.org/event/nist-meeting- ... yptography

* 2012 International CES
Save the date! EFF is excited to participate in the 2012
CES, which boasts 200 conference sessions, 500 speakers,
and over 2,700 exhibitors showcasing their most innovative
and ingenious products and service.
Date: January 10, 2012
Location: Las Vegas
https://www.eff.org/event/2012-international-ces

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* Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Shotwell Street
San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
https://www.eff.org/

Editor:
Trevor Timm, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries:
membership@eff.org

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

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is
encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent
the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles
individually, please contact the authors for their
express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be
reproduced individually at will.

Back issues of EFFector are available via the Web at:
https://www.eff.org/effector/

[Bazza]

EFFector Vol. 24, No. 38 Monday, December 5, 2011 editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

In our 593rd issue:

* Why Apple (and Sony, Amazon, and Microsoft) Should
Support Jailbreaking

In requests filed last week, EFF asked the Copyright Office
to protect the "jailbreaking" of smartphones, electronic
tablets, and video game consoles -- liberating them to run
operating systems and applications from any source, not
just those approved by the manufacturer. We take a look
back at all the benefits jailbreaking has brought both
manufacturers and users of smartphones, and why the right
to jailbreak should be expanded to cover tablets and video
game consoles like the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and
Xbox 360.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/w ... ilbreaking

* Carrier IQ Drops Empty Legal Threat, Apologizes to
Security Researcher

Mobile software company Carrier IQ withdrew a bogus legal
threat to a security researcher, Trevor Eckhart, who
published an analysis of the company's software, and
training materials on which he based his research.
Attempting to suppress his research, Carrier IQ fired off a
baseless cease-and-desist demand claiming that Eckhart
infringed the company's copyrights and made "false
allegations" about their software. As EFF explained in a
letter to Carrier IQ, Eckhart's research and commentary is
protected by fair use and the First Amendment right to free
expression.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/c ... researcher

* Cablegate One Year Later: How WikiLeaks Has Influenced
Foreign Policy, Journalism, and the First Amendment

One year ago, WikiLeaks started publishing a trove of over
250,000 leaked U.S. State Department cables, which have
since formed the basis of reporting for newspapers around
the globe. The publication has given the public a window
into the inner workings of government at an unprecedented
scale, and in the process, has transformed journalism in
the digital age. We take a look at Cablegate's impact on
journalism surrounding six countries central to U.S.
foreign policy, and why it is vital for the media to stand
up for WikiLeaks' First Amendment right to publish
classified information.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/c ... journalism

* New Global Chokepoints Project Tracks Censorship Around
the World

EFF and over a dozen civil society organizations worldwide
launched Global Chokepoints (www.globalchokepoints.org), a
website to document how copyright enforcement is being used
to censor online free expression in countries around the
world. This online resource was created to monitor
proposals to turn Internet intermediaries into copyright
police. These proposals harm Internet users' rights of
privacy, due process and freedom of expression, as well as
endanger the future of the free and open Internet.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/new- ... ound-world

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EFF Updates

* Against the Blacklist Bills: Senators and Representatives
Speak Up
Citizens nationwide have spoken out against the Stop Online
Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP, its counterpart in the
Senate -- and they're not alone. A large and growing
bi-partisan group of legislators have told their colleagues
in the Capitol that Internet censorship is a very bad idea.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/a ... tors-speak

* The PROTECT IP Act Is Very Real and Very Bad -- Call Your
Senators to Block It
The PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) is the evil step-sister of the
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the much-criticized Internet
blacklist bill introduced in the House last month. In one
way, though, PIPA is much worse: while SOPA is still in the
House committee stage and has been the target of
extraordinary public opposition, PIPA is already out of
committee and poised for consideration of the full Senate.
Click through to find your Senators' numbers and tell them
to reject this bill.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/p ... w-block-it

* With FTC Settlement, Facebook Moves Closer to EFF Bill of
Rights for Social Network Users
The Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with
Facebook over allegations that the social network operator
deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their
information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly
expanding that which is shared and made public. We are
heartened to see that many of the provisions of the
settlement are in alignment with the Bill of Privacy Rights
for Social Network Users that EFF proposed in May 2010.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/f ... work-users

* Long Term Privacy with Forward Secrecy
Google has activated a web privacy feature called "forward
secrecy", becoming one of the web's first major players to
put this important component in place. Forward secrecy
means your web requests and the resulting pages are now
secure from decryption even if Google's private key is
later compromised. We hope other sites follow Google's
example.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/l ... rd-secrecy

* EFF Joins Advocacy Organizations in Criticizing Secure
Communities
EFF joined the Rights Working Group and 65 advocacy
organizations in sending letters opposing the Secure
Communities Program in preparation for the Subcommittee on
Immigration Policy and Enforcement November 30 hearing on
the issue. The program sets a dangerous precedent for
overcollection and misuse of sensitive personally
identifiable information, with ramifications for the
privacy and due process rights of all Americans.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/e ... ommunities

* Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Attempts to Ban
"Obscene" Words from Texts
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has sent a
notice to Pakistani cell phone carriers, demanding that
they block 1,600 terms and phrases it deemed "obscene" from
being transmitted via text message. It's still not clear
how the PTA intends to enforce this order onto telecom
companies, nor what it expects them to do to ensure that
users do not continue to use supposedly "obscene" language
in their texts.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/p ... 0%9D-texts

* Government and Drug Cartels Both Threaten Freedom of
Expression in Mexico
Freedom of expression continues to come under attack in
Mexico. In response to a complaint signed by over 23,000
Mexicans demanding that the International Criminal Court
investigate alleged human rights violations by the army and
the police as part of the state's war against the drug
cartels, Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced that
his government is exploring "all options to proceed legally
against those who have denounced the government in
international forums and in the courts."
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/g ... ion-mexico

* New York Times Has a Sunday Dialogue on Anonymity and
Civility on the Internet
The New York Times has published a letter to the editor
from Christopher Wolf, who leads the Internet Task Force of
the Anti-Defamation League, in which he suggested, "It is
time to consider Facebook's real-name policy as an Internet
norm because online identification demonstrably leads to
accountability and promotes civility." We respond, citing
the importance of anonymity in enabling free expression.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/n ... y-internet

* Welcome to the Newest Member of the EFF Team, Ellie Young
EFF is proud to announce the newest member of our growing
staff, Ellie Young. Ellie comes to EFF in the role of
Special Assistant to Executive Director Shari Steele, and
she will work on financial planning as well as on
development and operational activities at EFF.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/w ... llie-young

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miniLinks

~ Playing With Numbers: Why SOPA Still Won't Solve Internet
Piracy
Public Knowledge runs the numbers on the dramatic "piracy"
figures cited by proponents of blacklist legislation.
http://publicknowledge.org/blog/playing ... -solve-int

~ EU Court of Justice: Censorship in Name of Copyright
Violates Fundamental Rights
The European Court of Justice ruled that forcing Internet
service providers to monitor and censor their users'
communications violated EU law, and in particular the right
to freedom of communication.
https://www.laquadrature.net/en/eu-cour ... tal-rights

~ Legacy Media Bankrolling Campaigns of SOPA Cosponsors
Traditional big media firms have contributed more than $5
million to the sponsors of the Stop Online Piracy Act, with
California Democratic Reps. Howard Berman and Adam Schiff
as the top recipients.
http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com ... nsponsors/

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Announcements

* Rein In Invasive Border Searches AND Benefit EFF!
Right now CREDO Mobile customers and activists are voting
on how to distribute an expanding pool of donations among
40 nonprofit organizations including EFF. When you sign our
petition to fight invasive border searches on the CREDO
website, you also become eligible to give EFF a slice of a
multimillion-dollar donation pie.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/r ... enefit-eff

* LISA: 25th Large Installation System Administration
Conference
This year marks the 25th LISA, an amazing meeting place for
system, network, database, and other computer
administrators and engineers from all over the globe. EFF's
Development Associate, Kellie Brownell, will be in the
Exhibition room.
Date: December 6-8, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
https://www.eff.org/calendar/2011/12/06 ... nistration

* Open Source and Free Software 2011: Benefits, Risks and
Challenges
EFF Staff Attorney Julie Samuels will discuss Patents and
Standards in an Open Source World, covering patent
provisions in open source licenses, protecting open source
projects from patents, recent patent litigation and
legislation.
Date: December 7, 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
https://www.eff.org/event/open-source-a ... challenges

* NIST: Meeting on Privacy-Enhancing Cryptography
EFF Senior Staff Technologist Seth Schoen is participating
in this event. Check out the event website to learn more
and register.
Date: December 8-9, 2011
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
https://www.eff.org/event/nist-meeting- ... yptography

* 2012 International CES
Save the date! EFF is excited to participate in the 2012
CES, which boasts 200 conference sessions, 500 speakers,
and over 2,700 exhibitors showcasing their most innovative
and ingenious products and service.
Date: January 10, 2012
Location: Las Vegas, NV
https://www.eff.org/event/2012-international-ces

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* Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Shotwell Street
San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
https://www.eff.org/

Editor:
Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries:
membership@eff.org

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

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is
encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent
the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles
individually, please contact the authors for their
express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be
reproduced individually at will.

Back issues of EFFector are available via the Web at:
https://www.eff.org/effector/

[Bazza]

EFFector Vol. 24, No. 39 Monday, December 12, 2011 editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

In our 594th issue:

* Stand Up and Fight: A Week of Action Against Censorship

EFF and a coalition of organizations, tech companies,
innovators, and users are joining forces to fight back
against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that
would give the government and big content unprecedented
authority to censor the web in the name of so-called
copyright enforcement. This week, we need to pull out all
the stops because the House Judiciary Committee is slated
to hold a critical hearing on Thursday.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/s ... censorship

* Fight the Blacklist: A Toolkit for Anti-SOPA Activism

We need your help to stop this legislation before it can
undermine Internet security and censor the web. Ready to
join EFF and dozens of other groups in the fight? Here are
12 things you can do right now to help us stop the
blacklist bills.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/f ... -activists

* An Alternative to SOPA: An Open Process Befitting an Open
Internet

As truly frightening legislative proposals known as SOPA
and PIPA continue to loom in Congress, we were glad to
learn that a bipartisan group of congressional
representatives has come together to formulate a real
alternative, called the OPEN Act, incorporating a real
process for including the Internet users and innovators it
may affect. Our initial take is that while the bill is far
from perfect, some crucial steps have been taken.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/a ... n-internet

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EFF Updates

* Blacklist Bills Ripe for Abuse, Part I: "Market-Based"
Systems
Proponents of the misguided Internet blacklist legislation
-- SOPA and PIPA -- downplay the idea that the overbroad
bills could be used for censorship. But one only needs to
look at the way existing copyright laws have been abused to
know there’s serious cause for concern. The message is
clear: the government and corporations have no problem
abusing legal process to threaten or shut down legitimate
speech.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/b ... ripe-abuse

* Blacklist Bills Ripe for Abuse, Part II: Expansion of
Government Powers
We look at how the Justice Department and private companies
have already been going after domain names seizures,
without due process, and how SOPA and PIPA will make this
much easier. Essentially, the government can "disappear" a
website entirely -- at least for U.S. residents who haven't
taken advantage of the numerous workarounds that will
undoubtedly spring up.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/b ... ent-powers

* The Download.com Debacle: What CNET Needs to Do to Make
it Right
The blogosphere has been buzzing about revelations that
CNET's Download.com site has been embedding adware into the
install process for all kinds of software, including open
source software like NMAP. Here's what CNET needs to do to
really make it right.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/d ... e-it-right

* Indian Authorities Try (And Fail) to Make Tech Companies
Block Politically Offensive Content
The Indian Telecommunications Minister has met with top
officials of Internet companies and social media sites,
including the Indian units of Facebook, Google, Microsoft,
and Yahoo, to try to compel them to filter offensive
content. The New York Times reported that Minister Kapil
Sibal met with executives to ask the companies to create
internal mechanisms that would prevent any comments the
state deemed "disparaging, inflammatory or defamatory"
towards political and religious figures.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/i ... -offensive

* Belgian ISPs vs. Internet Freedom
A Belgian Internet watchdog group (NURPA) has reported that
one of the three major mobile Internet providers in
Belgium, Base, voluntarily started blocking access to the
Pirate Bay. This block comes after a case initiated by the
Belgian Anti-Piracy Federation, in which an Antwerp Court
of Appeals ordered two major fixed broadband providers to
block access to the Pirate Bay at the DNS level.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/b ... et-freedom

* This Week in Internet Censorship
This week EFF looks to Thailand, which declared last week
that Facebook users "liking" or sharing content offensive
to the Thai throne could be sentenced up to 15 years in
prison; Vietnam, where a court reduced the jail sentence of
blogger and human rights activist Professor Pham Minh Hoang
from three years to 17 months; Syria, where Area SpA, an
Italian company that had been helping to build an Internet
surveillance system in that country, has reportedly pulled
out of the project; and more.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/w ... s-bad-news

* RIAA and AAP File Amicus Brief in Righthaven Appeal
The Association of American Publishers and the Recording
Industry Association of America have decided to cozy up to
a copyright troll, filing an amicus brief in the Ninth
Circuit appeal of Righthaven v. Hoehn. The AAP and RIAA do
not weigh in on Righthaven's sham copyright assignment from
Stephens Media, the publisher of the Review-Journal;
rather, they devote their brief to civil proceedure,
arguing it was error for the court to even consider whether
the use was fair.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/r ... ven-appeal

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miniLinks

~ Techdirt: Feds Falsely Censor Popular Blog For Over A
Year, Deny All Due Process, Hide All Details
Mike Masnick: "The US government has effectively admitted
that it totally screwed up and falsely seized & censored a
non-infringing domain of a popular blog, having falsely
claimed that it was taking part in criminal copyright
infringement."
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201112 ... ails.shtml

~ Drones: A Deeply Unsettling Future
In an op-ed for Al Jazeera English, EFF Activist Trevor
Timm discusses the security questions raised by the the
coming proliferation of drone technology both domestically
and abroad.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinio ... 29807.html

~ Swiss Government: File-sharing No Big Deal, Some
Downloading Still OK
A new report by the Swiss government argues that
unauthorized file sharing is not a significant problem, and
that existing Swiss law -- which allows for downloading
copyrighted content for personal use -- is sufficient to
protect copyright holders.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news ... ill-ok.ars

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

Announcements

* Call Now to Stop SOPA, the Internet Blacklist Bill
The Stop Online Piracy Act is a dangerous bill that would
give the Department of Justice unprecedented power to
censor the Internet. There's a hearing this week about the
bill, so we have no time to lose. Follow this link to get
your Representative's phone number, and use the provided
script to urge them to put a stop to this dangerous
legislation.
https://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/9042/ ... n_KEY=8336

* CREDO's 2011 Nonprofits
Right now CREDO Mobile customers and activists are voting
on how to distribute an expanding pool of donations among
40 nonprofit organizations including EFF. If you are a
current CREDO long distance, mobile or credit card member,
or have sent a CREDO Action alert, you are eligible to give
EFF a slice of this multimillion-dollar donation pie.
http://act.credoaction.com/voting/login.html

* EFF Power Up Campaign
The Power Up campaign has ended, and was a huge success,
with more than $140,000 in donations in 140 hours. Thanks
to everyone who took the challenge! You still have a chance
to contribute: thanks to a generous challenge grant from
the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, your donation will go twice
as far if you give more than last year.
https://supporters.eff.org/donate/powerup

* 2012 International CES
Save the date! EFF is excited to participate in the 2012
CES, which boasts 200 conference sessions, 500 speakers,
and over 2,700 exhibitors showcasing their most innovative
and ingenious products and services.
Date: January 10, 2012
Location: Las Vegas, NV
https://www.eff.org/event/2012-international-ces

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

* Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Shotwell Street
San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
https://www.eff.org/

Editor:
Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries:
membership@eff.org

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

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is
encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent
the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles
individually, please contact the authors for their
express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be
reproduced individually at will.

Back issues of EFFector are available via the Web at:
https://www.eff.org/effector/

[Bazza]

EFFector Vol. 24, No. 40 Tuesday, December 20, 2011 editor@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

In our 595th issue:

* Wrapping Up a Week Of Action Against SOPA

It looks like the Week of Action Against SOPA, the Stop
Online Piracy Act, has made a difference. Although there
wasn't enough opposition to kill the bill outright, the
messages we've been sending for weeks -- that the bill
would create blacklists for online censorship, harm
cybersecurity efforts, set a bad international precedent,
and lead to a fractured Internet -- couldn't be ignored.
Chairman Lamar Smith acknowledged that the Judiciary
Committee didn't yet have all the facts, and announced that
markup would be suspended until the next practicable
opportunity -- tentatively scheduled for late January.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/w ... ainst-sopa

* An Open Letter From Internet Engineers to the U.S.
Congress

A group of 83 prominent Internet inventors and engineers
sent an open letter to members of the United States
Congress, stating their opposition to the SOPA and PIPA
Internet blacklist bills that are under consideration in
the House and Senate respectively. The letter was signed by
major Internet architects including Vint Cerf, Paul Vixie,
Tony Li, and many more.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/i ... a-and-pipa

* Some Facts About Carrier IQ

There has been a rolling scandal about the Carrier IQ
software installed by cell phone companies on 150 million
phones, mostly within the United States. Subjects of
outright disagreement have included the nature of the
program, what information it actually collects, and under
what circumstances. We explain Carrier IQ's architecture,
and why apparently conflicting statements about it are in
some instances simultaneously correct. The information in
this post has been synthesised from sources including
Trevor Eckhart, Ashkan Soltani, Dan Rosenberg, and Carrier
IQ itself.

Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/c ... chitecture

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EFF Updates

* SOPA Manager's Amendment: It's Still A Blacklist and It's
Still A Disaster
Representative Lamar Smith, the principal sponsor of SOPA
has released a "manager's amendment" that reworks some of
the bill's worst provisions. Frankly, the original
provisions were so overbroad and poorly written that we
suspect the bill's backers had always planned to eliminate
them, as a supposed "compromise."
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/s ... l-disaster

* The Internet Blacklist vs. The Constitution
The revised SOPA briefly mentions the First Amendment, but
the substantive text makes clear that's just lip service.
We provide a selection of fundamental Constitutional flaws
that remain in both SOPA and its Senate counterpart, the
Protect IP Act.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/i ... nstitution

* Free Speech's Weak Links Under Internet Blacklist Bills
The Internet Blacklist bills would have a disastrous effect
on online freedom of speech. In order to understand the
ways a site placed on the blacklist could be denied a
chance to connect with an audience, we've illustrated them
with our "Free Speech is Only as Strong as the Weakest
Link" chart.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/f ... list-bills

* The OPEN Act: The Good, the Bad, and a Practice in
Participatory Government
Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Darrell Issa's OPEN Act addresses
many glaring problems with the Stop Online Piracy Act
(SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the PROTECT IP Act
(PIPA). This proposal represents a more targeted approach
to the so-called foriegn site piracy problem, but there's
room for improvement. Happily, the OPEN Act's sponsors
invite -- in fact, encourage -- Americans from all sides of
the political debate to weigh in.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/o ... government

* The Crystal Cox Case and Bloggers as Journalists
A federal district court judge in Oregon raised eyebrows
when he rejected claims that a self-proclaimed Internet
investigative journalist did not enjoy the protections of
the state's reporters' shield law in a defamation lawsuit.
The judge's opinion in the case is both more and less
important than it might first appear.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/c ... ournalists

* New Developments in Egyptian Blogger Cases
Last week 27 out of 28 detainees arrested in relation to
the October 9 Maspero massacre were released, leaving Abd
El Fattah the sole detainee left in prison. EFF reiterates
our call for the immediate release of both Alaa Abd El
Fattah and Maikel Nabil Sanad, prisoners of conscience in
the Egyptian military's ongoing efforts to clamp down on
freedom of expression.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/n ... gger-cases

* SOPA Undermines the U.S. in Its Negotiations for a Free,
Open Internet
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) has approved a Recommendation on Principles for
Internet Policy Making that contains a set of 14 principles
intended as a blueprint guiding Internet policy development
for its 34 member states. In spite of this OECD policy
framework, members of the U.S. government itself are
attempting to push through legislation measures that would
subvert many of the core principles found in this document.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/s ... n-internet

* This Week in Internet Censorship
This week EFF looks to Russia, where a prominent blogger
was imprisoned for 15 days on charges of resisting the
police; to Venezuela, where Twitter accounts of critics of
the Chavez regime have been attacked by a group supportive
of the president and his policies; to Thailand where an
American blogger was sentenced to two and a half years in a
Thai prison for translating and publishing excerpts of a
banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej; and to South
Korea, where the Communications Standards Commission of
South Korea launched a campaign to monitor "illicit
content" on social networking sites.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/w ... censorship

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

miniLinks

~ Don't Break the Internet
Mark Lemley, David S. Levine, and David G. Post write in
the Stanford Law Review about the Internet blacklist
legislation and the how they "pose grave constitutional
problems and could have potentially disastrous consequences
for the stability and security of the Internet's addressing
system, for the principle of interconnectivity that has
helped drive the Internet's extraordinary growth, and for
free expression."
http://www.stanfordlawreview.org/online ... k-internet

~ Wikimedia Foundation General Counsel on How SOPA Would
Hurt the Free Web (And Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation General Counsel Geoff Brigham gives
some comments on the bill and explains what effect the
proposed legislation might have on a free and open Internet
as well as Wikipedia.
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/12/13/h ... wikipedia/

~ Why The Canadian Government's Lawful Access Claims Stand
on a Shaky Foundation
Early next year the Canadian government will introduce
lawful access legislation featuring new information
disclosure requirements for Internet providers, the
installation of mandated surveillance technologies, and
creation of new police powers, likely to be accompanied by
a series of shaky justifications for the legislation.
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/6200/135

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

Announcements

* Call Now to Stop SOPA, the Internet Blacklist Bill
The Stop Online Piracy Act is a dangerous bill that would
give the Department of Justice unprecedented power to
censor the Internet. Follow the above link to get your
Representative's phone number, and use the provided script
to urge them to put a stop to this dangerous legislation.
https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/act ... n_KEY=8336

* CREDO's 2011 Nonprofits
Right now CREDO Mobile customers and activists are voting
on how to distribute an expanding pool of donations among
40 nonprofit organizations including EFF. If you are a
current CREDO long distance, mobile, or credit card member,
or have sent a CREDO Action alert, you are eligible to give
EFF a slice of this multimillion-dollar donation pie.
http://act.credoaction.com/voting/login.html

* 2012 International CES
Save the date! EFF is excited to participate in the 2012
CES, which boasts 200 conference sessions, 500 speakers,
and over 2,700 exhibitors showcasing their most innovative
and ingenious products and services.
Date: January 10, 2012
Location: Las Vegas, NV
https://www.eff.org/event/2012-international-ces

* Apply for the Google Policy Fellowship with EFF
The Google Policy Fellowship program offers undergraduate,
graduate, and law students the opportunity to spend the
summer contributing to the public dialogue on these issues,
and exploring future academic and professional interests.
The EFF Fellow will work closely with mentors in the
international policy team. The application is due February
3, 2012.
http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

* Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Shotwell Street
San Francisco CA 94110-1914 USA
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
https://www.eff.org/

Editor:
Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries:
membership@eff.org

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

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is
encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent
the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles
individually, please contact the authors for their
express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be
reproduced individually at will.

Back issues of EFFector are available via the Web at:
https://www.eff.org/effector/

[sujith34]

i dont get it!!