Favorite This is Part V in EFF’s ongoing series about the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention. Read Part I for a quick snapshot of the ins and outs of the zero draft; Part II for a deep dive on Chapter IV dealing with domestic surveillance powers; Part III for a deep dive on Chapter V regarding…
All posts tagged Legislative Analysis
Proposed Cybercrime Treaty’s International Cooperation Provisions Could Let Tyrants Run Amok
Favorite This is the third segment in EFF’s series on the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention focusing on Chapter V, International Cooperation. Read Part I for a quick snap of what ins and outs of the zero draft, and Part II for a deep dive on Chapter IV, domestic surveillance powers. The United Nations Headquarters in…
UN Cybercrime Convention Negotiations Enter Final Phase With Troubling Surveillance Powers Still on the Table
Favorite This is Part II of EFF’s analysis of the zero draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention. Part I is here. As one of the last negotiating sessions to finalize the UN Cybercrime Convention approaches, it’s important to remember that the outcome and implications of the international talks go well beyond the UN meeting rooms…
First Draft of UN Cybercrime Convention Drops Troubling Provisions, But Dangerous And Open-Ended Cross Border Surveillance Powers Are Still on the Table
Favorite This is Part I of a two-part post about the first draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention. Part I provides background on the negotiations and analyzes our first take on the Zero draft and its human rights implications. Part II analyzes the draft’s most problematic provisions. The much-anticipated official first negotiated draft of the proposed…
Congress Must Exercise Caution in AI Regulation
Favorite Artificial intelligence technologies (AI) are all the rage in Washington D.C. these days. Policymakers are hearing stories of utopian opportunities and certain doom from technologists, CEOs, and public interest groups and trying to figure out when and how Congress should intervene. Congress should be paying attention to AI technologies. Many are tools with extraordinary…
States Should Not Skirt Federal Rules on Fiber Infrastructure
Favorite Across the country, states are designing broadband plans to begin spending billions of federal dollars made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and past COVID-19 rescue dollar investment programs. The Biden administration has consistently made clear that states are to build future-proof infrastructure to deliver broadband that will be useful for…
Your Messaging Service Should Not Be a DEA Informant
Favorite A new U.S. Senate bill would require private messaging services, social media companies, and even cloud providers to report their users to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) if they find out about certain illegal drug sales. This would lead to inaccurate reports and turn messaging services into government informants. The bill, named the Cooper…
This Texas Bill Would Systematically Silence Anyone Who Dares to Talk About Abortion Pills
Favorite Texas State Representative Steve Toth recently introduced a bill that targets the most viable form of safe and effective abortion access today—medication abortion. House Bill (HB) 2690 seeks to prevent the sale and distribution of abortion pills like Mifepristone and misoprostol, but it doesn’t stop there. By restricting access to certain information online, the…
Why is New York City Removing Free Broadband In Favor of Charter?
Favorite In January 2020, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced New York City’s Internet Master Plan, setting a path to deliver broadband for low-income New Yorkers by investing in public fiber infrastructure. The plan was a clear response to the gap created from systemic digital redlining (an industry practice EFF has called…
Stop This California Bill that Bans Affordable Broadband Rules
Favorite The California Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee will soon be the first to consider new and terrible amendments to Assemblymember Quirk-Silva’s A.B. 2749—which is backed by AT&T and other telecommunications interests. The legislation would prohibit the state from implementing affordable broadband rules for broadband companies receiving state subsidies as part of the new…