Calling all transparency advocates, investigative journalists, and assorted FOIA punks! It’s once again time to submit your nominations for The Foilies—EFF’s annual, tongue-in-cheek awards for outrageous, ridiculous, and infuriating responses to public records requests. Each year during Sunshine Week (March… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘Transparency’
Transparency Advocates and Environment Defenders Call on California Supreme Court to Review Government Email Deletion Practices
In California, as in many states, the public has a right to request public records—government documents that reveal information such as what decisions public officials make, what actions they take, and how they spend our money. But what happens when… Read More ›
The Government’s Indictment of Julian Assange Poses a Clear and Present Danger to Journalism, the Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Speech
The century-old tradition that the Espionage Act not be used against journalistic activities has now been broken. Seventeen new charges were filed yesterday against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. These new charges make clear that he is being prosecuted for basic… Read More ›
Designing Welcome Mats to Invite User Privacy
The way we design user interfaces can have a profound impact on the privacy of a user’s data. It should be easy for users to make choices that protect their data privacy. But all too often, big tech companies instead… Read More ›
National Emergencies: Constitutional and Statutory Restrictions on Presidential Powers
When a president threatens to exercise the power to declare a national emergency, our system of checks and balances faces a crucial test. With President Trump threatening such a declaration in order to build his proposed physical border wall, that… Read More ›
Victory: Federal Court in Seattle Will Begin Disclosing Surveillance Records
The public will learn how often federal investigators in Seattle obtain private details about your communications, such as who you called and when, as a result of a petition to unseal those records brought by EFF client The Stranger. Federal… Read More ›
Federal Court Orders That Patent Troll Can’t Hide Its Machinations
A federal judge has ordered that prolific patent troll Uniloc cannot hide its shell games from the public. After EFF filed a motion to intervene seeking access to sealed court records, Judge William H. Alsup of the Northern District of… Read More ›
EFF Fights for Public Access To Patent Disputes
The public can’t judge if courts are fair if the public is locked out. The parties generally don’t care if the proceedings are hidden (indeed, they may want them hidden). This means that, at times, groups like EFF and press… Read More ›
The FBI Supposedly Has 7,775 Un-hackable Phones. We’re Asking for Proof
EFF sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FBI and other Department of Justice agencies to get some straight answers about approximately 7,800 supposedly un-hackable cellphones. Law enforcement agencies say they have a problem–criminals all use encrypted… Read More ›
California Can Build Trust Between Police and Communities By Requiring Agencies to Publish Their Policies Online
If we as citizens are more informed of police policies and procedures, and we can easily access those materials online and study them, it’ll lead to greater accountability and better relations between our communities and the police departments that serve… Read More ›