EFFector 35.8
This Pride, Support LGBTQ+ Rights Both Online and Offline
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In our 794th issue:
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Top Features
Globally, an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ intolerance is impacting individuals and communities both online and off. The digital rights community has observed an uptick in censorship of LGBTQ+ websites as well as troubling attempts by several countries to pass explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ bills restricting freedom of expression and privacy. This Pride—and all year round—we urge you to join us in taking a stand to support the freedom of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities everywhere.
One of the more dangerous features of student monitoring tools like GoGuardian, Gaggle, and Bark is their “flagging” functionality. The tools can scan web pages, documents in students’ cloud drives, emails, video content, and more for keywords about topics like sex, drugs, and violence. We call on all student monitoring tools to remove LGBTQ+ terms from their blocking and flagging lists to ensure that young people’s privacy isn't violated, and to ensure that sexual and gender identity is not penalized.
EFF Updates
We're piloting an audio version of EFFector's Newsletter. We hope you enjoy it!
After weeks of burning through users’ goodwill, Reddit is facing a moderator strike and an exodus of its most important users. It’s the latest example of a social media site making a critical mistake: Users aren’t there for the services, they’re there for the community. Building barriers to access is a war of attrition.
A year ago, the Supreme Court's Dobbs abortion ruling overturned Roe v. Wade. This decision deprived millions of people of a fundamental right. In the past year, EFF staff have worked with reproductive justice and civil liberties organizations to protect and advocate for the digital rights of people seeking or supporting reproductive care.
In a victory for transparency in police use of facial recognition, a New Jersey appellate court ruled that state prosecutors—who charged a man for armed robbery after the technology showed he was a “possible match” for the suspect—must turn over detailed information about the face scanning software used, including how it works, its source code, and its error rate.
The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) would censor the internet and make government officials the arbiters of what young people can see online. It will likely lead to age verification, handing more power—and private data—to third-party identity verification companies like Clear or ID.me. Tell your Senator and representative to vote NO on this bill.
Bestselling author Dave Eggers—whose newest novel, “The Eyes and the Impossible,” was published in May—speaks with EFF’s Cindy Cohn and Jason Kelley about why he hates Zoom so much, how and why we get sucked into digital worlds despite our own best interests, and painting the darkest version of our future so that we can steer away from it.
Announcements
Snag our new, heavier-weight hoodie with raglan sleeves and gunmetal zipper from our shop or when you donate at the Titanium level or above.
EFF is once again excited to be back in Las Vegas for Black Hat USA August 5-10! If you are interested in submitting a talk to Black Hat, you can contact info@eff.org about any legal concerns regarding your talk or any sensitive InfoSec research you are conducting.
The EFF Benefit Poker Tournament is back for DEF CON 31! Your buy-in is paired with a donation to support EFF’s mission to protect online privacy and free expression for all. Seating is limited, so reserve your spot today. The first fifty people to sign up and attend the event will receive a limited bronze challenge coin celebrating the event!
Job Openings
MiniLinks
EFF’s Jason Kelley discusses how centralized databases are vulnerable to hacking and potential tracking, and unscrupulous websites could set up their own “age verification” prompts that are really a ruse to gather users’ personal information.
Giving people information about where sensors are in their communities is a long way from participatory governance about whether sensors should be there in the first place, EFF’s Karen Gullo warns.
High-speed broadband access should be considered an “essential resource” like clean water or affordable electricity. EFF’s Ernesto Falcon says federal funding is poised to make a significant impact on what he describes as “digital redlining.”
Communities should be involved in determining appropriate use of police technologies. EFF’s Beryl Lipton calls for a municipal, local conversation about surveillance.
Like with Twitter, it's not a big collapse when a social media website starts to die, but it is a slow attrition unless they change their course. EFF’s Rory Mir makes the case.
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