ICE is buying a location tracking tool that harvests data from hundreds of millions of phones a day. Protect your location data by updating a few settings on your phone 🧵 (1/4): 404media.co/ice-to-buy-too… Turn off your phone’s “advertising ID” to make it harder for location data brokers to track you. (2/4)

Recently, EFF was down at the Arizona-Mexico border hunting for surveillance tech. Here's what we found. 🧵(1/14) Meet Romeo! That's the designation Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) gave to these Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) cameras installed on this tower above Nogales. (2/14)

Each time you see a targeted ad, your personal data has just been exposed to thousands of advertisers and data brokers through a process called “real-time bidding” (RTB).



This process does more than deliver ads — it lets data brokers harvest and monetize your online activity, which fuels government surveillance, and even poses national security risks. 🧵(1/8) What’s real-time bidding (RTB)? It’s the process used to select the targeted ads shown to you on nearly every site and app you visit.

Those ads are the winners of milliseconds-long auctions that expose your personal info to thousands of companies a day.

The auction starts by sending thousands of potential advertisers your personal data, including your unique advertising ID, location, IP address, and demographic information. Advertisers use that information to decide whether or not to bid.

While only one advertiser wins the auction, all advertisers can keep your personal data. (2/8)

In the wake of the 2024 election in the U.S., many people are concerned about their digital privacy. EFF has decades of experience in providing digital privacy and security resources, particularly for vulnerable people. We’ve written a lot of resources over the years and here are the top ten that we think are most useful right now 🧵(1/13) Our Surveillance Self-Defense guides are a great place to start your journey of securing yourself against digital threats. We know that it can be a bit overwhelming, so we recommend starting with our guide on making a security plan so you can familiarize yourself with the basics and decide on your specific needs. (2/13)ssd.eff.org

Read the extensive Q&A that @GridNews did with EFF’s @DavidGreene about why a TikTok ban makes no sense. 🧵
grid.news/story/technolo… "If the government is really concerned ... it should look at data privacy more broadly & enact more comprehensive data-privacy regulation that would restrict how all companies, not just TikTok, collect & retain & use user data.” - @DavidGreene in @GridNews grid.news/story/technolo…

It's Sunshine Week, and that means The Foilies, EFF and @MuckRock's annual faux awards for agencies that behave badly when confronted with public records requests. The winners are… eff.org/deeplinks/2023… The Federal Bureau of Investigation for dragging its feet in providing records on how it was keeping tabs on The Monkees. eff.org/deeplinks/2023…

Victory! The security expert @olabini was finally declared innocent yesterday in a unanimous verdict by a three-judge tribunal in Ecuador. 1/ peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/01/dig… @olabini Since his 70-day arbitrary detention in 2019, Ola Bini’s case has been impacted by numerous due process violations and human rights concerns. It went through suspensions or delays at nearly every stage of his trial. 2/ eff.org/deeplinks/2023…

El Martes 31 de enero se reinstala la audiencia de juicio de @olabini. Estamos pendientes y esperando que la corte de un ejemplo de transparencia y ajustado a los criterios técnicos y legales. @eff Nos preocupa que un único día de audiencia no baste para terminar un juicio ya lleno de retrasos e irregularidades eff.org/es/deeplinks/2…

More than 80 public interest groups remind UN Member States that the broad and undefined concepts contained in the #UNCybercrimeTreaty - such as “terrorism” and “extremism” - should not be used as a basis to restrict freedom of expression. eff.org/deeplinks/2022… The Criminalization Chapter under the #UNCybercrime Treaty should be restricted to core cybercrimes – criminal offenses where ICT systems are the direct objects and instruments of the crimes. eff.org/deeplinks/2022…

EFF’s @txitua delivered an oral statement today in front of @UN_Vienna Member States urging them not to create legal woes for security researchers who expose security flaws in the draft #UNCybercrimeTreaty. /1 eff.org/pages/oral-int… @EFF During the negotiations of the #UNCybercrimeTreaty in Vienna, EFF urged UN Member States to focus on the criminal conduct of using security tools rather than the mere possession, production, or distribution. /2 eff.org/files/2023/01/…

This week, EFF fought uphill battles and ultimately WON what many thought were un-winnable fights: In a stunning about-face, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban killer robots after hearing from a broad coalition in opposition. eff.org/deeplinks/2022…

The court is set to reinstate the hearing of open source software developer @olabini’s trial this Friday at 2pm Ecuador time. One afternoon is likely to be too little time to conclude a trial that has already dragged on for more than 3 years. @EFF Moreover, there is still no information on whether the court will ensure a Swedish-Spanish translator, which is Ola Bini’s right since he is Swedish

Os trolls de direitos autorais apareceram recentemente no Brasil. Eles operam em muitos países com práticas predatórias que ameaçam garantias de devido processo, privacidade e proteção de dados de milhares de usuários de Internet. 1/ eff.org/pt-br/deeplink… @EFF O modelo de negócio dos trolls convida à intimidação e ao abuso. Ele utiliza os tribunais como arma para identificar usuários que supostamente baixaram conteúdos e os ameaçam com demandas de acordo questionáveis. 2/

Copyright trolls have recently cropped up in Brazil. They operate in many countries around the world with predatory practices that threaten the due process and data privacy rights of thousands of internet users. 1/ eff.org/deeplinks/2022… @EFF Trolls' business model invites harassment and abuse. It weaponizes courts to identify users who allegedly downloaded content and threaten them with questionable settlement demands. 2/

🚨 Tomorrow, 9/20, the Board of Supervisors will vote on a controversial surveillance bill that would give police unprecedented power to conduct live surveillance & endanger civil liberties. 🚨

🧵 Here's a thread to catch you up on what's happening.

act.eff.org/action/tell-sa… In 2019, the Board passed a landmark surveillance oversight ordinance, which requires city departments like SFPD to get approval from the Board, with opportunity for public input, before acquiring or using surveillance technology. 2/

San Francisco: Monday, 9/12 at 10 am, @sfbos Rules Committee will consider @SFPD's proposal to use private cameras for live surveillance. Show up and voice your opposition to this dangerous expansion of police powers! sfbos.org/sites/default/… Along with 23 other organizations, @EFF signed onto a letter opposing @SFPD's proposal, which allows for broad live surveillance powers, threatening the civil liberties of immigrants, abortion seekers, LGBTQ people, and all San Franciscans. eff.org/document/coali…

#BREAKING A year-long investigation by EFF has uncovered Fog Data Science, a mass surveillance company that buys the geolocation of hundreds of millions of devices in the U.S. and maps them for police to search, often without a warrant.

eff.org/deeplinks/2022… EFF shared records with @AP. Here is its investigation into how police use one of the largest police surveillance apparatuses in U.S. history, giving them the power to find devices in a geographical area and then track individuals indefinitely.

apnews.com/article/techno…

Ola Bini’s trial resumes next week (Aug 30-31). EFF, along with other digital and human rights organizations, will follow the developments in this case. It is rife with concerns, due process missteps, and unsound technical and legal grounds. 1/ eff.org/deeplinks/2021… A judicial prosecution cannot, and should not, be politically motivated. Political actors must step aside from the case and let justice prevail. 2/ eff.org/deeplinks/2019…

Observaremos el juicio contra el experto informático Ola Bini. Haciendo seguimiento de un proceso falto de motivaciones técnicas o jurídicas y de garantías de derecho. 1/ eff.org/deeplinks/2021… @eff Un proceso judicial no puede, ni debe, tener motivaciones políticas. Los actores políticos deben apartarse del caso y dejar que se haga justicia. 2/ eff.org/es/deeplinks/2… eff.org/press/releases…

“It’s not hard to picture communities of color being disproportionately impacted by increased surveillance,” writes the SF Chronicle editorial board, in opposing expanded SFPD live access to non-city spy cams.

sfchronicle.com/opinion/editor…. We agree, and so does a broad coalition of Bay Area groups.

eff.org/deeplinks/2022…

Indonesia's government has been working to coerce social media platforms, apps, and other online service providers to accept local jurisdiction over their content and users' data policies and practices. 1/
eff.org/deeplinks/2021… @EFF Indonesian’s MR5 regulation tightens the government’s grip over digital content and users’ data. EFF joined @safenetvoice and a dozen NGOs urging @kemkominfo to repeal MR5 and its amendment. 2/
eff.org/files/2022/07/…