In the face of a global pandemic, there is an urgent need for reporting relating to the spread of the coronavirus and how governments are responding. But it is in times of crisis that the civil liberties we value most… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘COVID-19 and Digital Rights’
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 ›
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 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 ›
Apple and Google’s COVID-19 Exposure Notification API: Questions and Answers
Apple and Google are undertaking an unprecedented team effort to build a system for Androids and iPhones to interoperate in the name of technology-assisted COVID-19 contact tracing. The companies’ plan is part of a torrent of proposals to use Bluetooth… Read More ›
Copyright and Crisis: Filters Are Not the Answer
It’s been a joke for years now, from the days when Facebook was just a website where you said you were eating a sandwich and Instagram was just where you posted photos of said sandwich, but, right now, we really… Read More ›
ICYMI: Watch "At Home With EFF," A Virtual Discussion of COVID-19 and Digital Rights
We’re excited to announce our next virtual At Home With EFF event this Wednesday at noon (PT), with special guests Jeff Deutch of Syrian Archive and Mahsa Alimardani of Article 19. Join us for a conversation on content moderation, and the explosion of new, potentially… Read More ›
Open Innovation in Medical Technology Will Save Lives
Experts from the world’s top engineering programs have come together to share knowledge about medical technology, hoping to make life-saving treatments more widely available. Importantly, they’re ensuring that patents, copyrights, and other legal restrictions don’t get between that knowledge and… Read More ›
Telling Police Where People With COVID-19 Live Erodes Public Health
In some areas of the United States, local governments are sharing the names and addresses of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 with police and other first responders. This is intended to keep police, EMTs, and firefighters safe should… Read More ›
The Challenge of Proximity Apps For COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Around the world, a diverse and growing chorus is calling for the use of smartphone proximity technology to fight COVID-19. In particular, public health experts and others argue that smartphones could provide a solution to an urgent need for rapid,… Read More ›