Favorite After three years of virtual gatherings, RightsCon is back! The 12th edition of the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age will be a hybrid convening taking place online through the RightsCon platform and in San José, Costa Rica between June 5-8. RightsCon provides an opportunity for human rights experts, technologists,…
All posts tagged Free Speech
The Law Should Not Require Parental Consent for All Minors to Access Social Media
Favorite Numerous state laws passed this year, and bills proposed in Congress, would set onerous new restrictions on what young people can do online, depriving teenagers of their First Amendment rights to express themselves, access protected speech, engage in anonymous speech, and participate in online communities. They also enforce a presumption that parents of minors…
The UK Online Safety Bill Must Not Violate Our Rights to Free Speech And Private Communication
Favorite As the UK’s Online Safety Bill moves through negotiations in the House of Lords, EFF, Open Rights Group, Wikimedia UK, and Index on Censorship have submitted a briefing urging the Lords to uphold the right to private messaging, and protect against prior restraint of lawful speech. Clause 110 of the bill requires websites and…
The STOP CSAM Act: Improved But Still Problematic
Favorite Last month, we expressed concerns about how the STOP CSAM Act threatens encrypted communications and free speech online. New amendments to the bill have some improvements, but our concerns remain. The STOP CSAM Act Should Not Use the EARN IT Act as a Template for How to Protect Encryption The amendments to the STOP…
The Kids Online Safety Act is Still A Huge Danger to Our Rights Online
Favorite Congress has resurrected the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would increase surveillance and restrict access to information in the name of protecting children online. KOSA was introduced in 2022 but failed to gain traction, and today its authors, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have reintroduced it with slight…
Greenpeace Stands Up Against SLAPPs And Wins
Favorite The U.S. litigation system is meant to resolve serious disputes. Unfortunately, the high cost of litigation can be weaponized as a means of harassment and censorship. That’s become all too common, and the last few decades have seen the rise of what’s known as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP. At EFF,…
Texas Should Leave Its Anti-SLAPP Law Alone
Favorite The Texas Citizens Participation Act, or TCPA, has been one of the strongest laws in the nation protecting citizens against lawsuits intended to silence or punish individuals who speak up on public matters. But HB 2781, a bill making its way through the state’s legislature right now, would needlessly undercut the protections Texans have…
EFF and ECNL's Comment to the Meta Oversight Board on the Term 'Shaheed'
Favorite EFF Intern Reema Moussa authored this post. EFF recently submitted comments in partnership with the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) in response to the Oversight Board’s request for input on the moderation of the Arabic word “shaheed.” The Oversight Board was created by Meta in 2020 as an appellate body and has 27…
The STOP CSAM Act Would Put Security and Free Speech at Risk
Favorite A new U.S. Senate bill introduced this week threatens security and free speech on the internet. EFF urges Congress to reject the STOP CSAM Act of 2023, which would undermine services offering end-to-end encryption, and force internet companies to take down lawful user content. The bill is aimed at removing from the internet child…
Podcast Episode: Safer Sex Work Makes a Safer Internet
Favorite An internet that is safe for sex workers is an internet that is safer for everyone. Though the effects of stigmatization and criminalization run deep, the sex worker community exemplifies how technology can help people reduce harm, share support, and offer experienced analysis to protect each other. But a 2018 federal law purportedly aimed…