A window may soon open for banks and lenders to use robocalls during the coronavirus crisis. Backed by a push to provide consumers with economic relief, a more expansive exemption could lead to unsolicited debt collection and marketing. A law… Read More ›
Archive for April 2020
COVID-19 and Technology: Commonly Used Terms
New technical proposals to track, contain, and fight COVID-19 are coming out nearly every day, and the distinction between public health strategies, technical approaches, and other terms can be confusing. On this page we attempt to define and disambiguate some… Read More ›
Frontier’s Bankruptcy Reveals Why Big ISPs Choose to Deny Fiber to So Much of America
Even before it announced that it would seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Frontier had a well-deserved reputation for mismanagement and abusive conduct. In an industry that routinely enrages its customers, Frontier was the literal poster-child for underinvestment and neglect, an industry… Read More ›
As Coronavirus Sweeps Through Jails and Prisons, Officials Crack Down on Inmate Speech
Jails and prisons now account for many of the largest clusters of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. Two prisons in Ohio now have more than 1,500 cases each; nearly a thousand cases are connected to the Cook County… Read More ›
The Constitution Does Not Allow Courts to Silence Criticism of Local Police Departments
EFF has filed an amicus brief urging the Tennessee Supreme Court to overturn a court order that would otherwise ban a victim from disclosing that she was subject to domestic violence or from speaking out about the police department’s handling… Read More ›
The Dangers of COVID-19 Surveillance Proposals to the Future of Protest
Many of the new surveillance powers now sought by the government to address the COVID-19 crisis would harm our First Amendment rights for years to come. People will be chilled and deterred from speaking out, protesting in public places, and… Read More ›
The “Inventor Rights Act” is an Attack on True Invention
Certain patent owners just can’t get enough of the monopoly power patents bestow. That’s why they keep trying to make it easier to get and sue over patents, despite Supreme Court rulings that point in the opposite direction. Their latest… Read More ›
Who’s A Patent Troll, and Who’s An Inventor?
Two Congressmen recently introduced a bill that would create a special type of patent called an “Inventor-Owned Patent.” Having classified a group of “inventors,” the Inventor Rights Act (H.R. 5478) goes on to give them a long list of special… Read More ›
Teleconference About .ORG Sale: Thursday, April 30, 9 am ET/12 pm PT: EFF and Partners Discuss Future of .ORG as ICANN Decision Nears
Nonprofits Oppose Sale, Which Is Under Scrutiny by State Attorneys General San Francisco—The sale of the .ORG domain registry to private equity firm Ethos Capital threatens to bring censorship and higher operating costs to nonprofit organizations and international NGOs working… Read More ›
Sen. Josh Hawley Is Cast as a GOP Leader After Trump. But Like Trump, He’s a Faux-Populist.
Sen. Josh Hawley leaves the Senate Republican Policy luncheon in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 2020. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images What if Donald Trump loses in November, but the Republicans come back in 2024 with a smarter, slicker, savvier version… Read More ›