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cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3639969

At EFF we’ve long noted that you cannot build a backdoor that only lets in good guys and not bad guys. Over the weekend, we saw another example of this: The Wall Street Journal reported on a major breach of U.S. telecom systems attributed to a sophisticated Chinese-government backed hacking group dubbed Salt Typhoon.

According to reports, the hack took advantage of systems built by ISPs like Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) to give law enforcement and intelligence agencies access to the ISPs’ user data. This gave China unprecedented access to data related to U.S. government requests to these major telecommunications companies. It’s still unclear how much communication and internet traffic, and related to whom, Salt Typhoon accessed.

That’s right: the path for [U.S.] law enforcement access set up by these companies was apparently compromised and used by China-backed hackers.

[...]

**In

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is urging people to take action against the renewal of Section 702, a law that allows the NSA to conduct mass surveillance on US citizens.

Key points:

• Section 702, originally intended for targeted overseas surveillance, is seen as enabling mass domestic spying.
• EFF wants reforms and increased transparency before renewal.
• They are selling "NSA Spying" shirts to raise awareness and funds for their fight.
• You can also contact your representatives to oppose the renewal.

Call to action:

• Buy a shirt to show support.
• Contact your representatives.
• Donate to EFF.

Summary

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released a new version of Privacy Badger that updates how it fights "link tracking" across a number of Google products. With this update, Privacy Badger removes tracking from links in Google Docs, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Images results. Privacy Badger now also removes tracking from links added after scrolling through Google Search results.

Link tracking is a technique that allows a company to follow you whenever you click on a link to leave its website. Google uses different techniques for link tracking in different browsers and products. One common approach is to surreptitiously redirect the outgoing request through the tracker's own servers.

The EFF says that there is virtually no benefit to you when this happens, and that the added complexity mostly just helps Google learn more about your browsing.

The new version of Privacy Badger works by blocking all Google link tracking requests at the network layer. This is a m

Summary

• California passed a law in 2021 to build a middle-mile fiber network to connect unserved and underserved communities.
• The California Department of Technology (CDT) is responsible for implementing the law.
• CDT recently released a new map of the middle-mile network, which omits much of the network that was previously promised to be built in low-income communities.
• The CDT has said that it cut back the middle mile network because inflation has increased building costs.
• However, critics say that the cuts disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color.
• They also say that the cuts waste government money and community time and energy.
• They are urging the CDT to work with those on the ground to create equitable middle-mile maps that close the digital divide.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/1819391

I'm a member of the EFF, and its activities are great, but understandably have slightly more focus on USA-related matters. I say "but" just because I don't live in the USA.

Are there similar foundations that operate and focus/prioritize more on an international level? I don't manage to find any, but probably I'm doing the wrong kind of search.

Summary:

• EFF has long argued that companies should not be allowed to collect and process private behavioral data without opt-in consent from users.
• Meta, one of the largest collectors of behavioral data in the world, has announced that it will change the legal basis for its behavioral advertising in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland from "legitimate interests" to "consent."
• Meta has a history of trying to circumvent privacy laws, and it is not clear how the company will implement this change.
• Meta's announcement came after recent court interpretations of the GDPR, as well as the incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA).
• The GDPR requires companies to obtain opt-in consent to collect, retain, disclose, or use a person's data.