Read

User menu

Search form

A Year After SOPA: The Next Five Battles for Internet Freedom

A Year After SOPA: The Next Five Battles for Internet Freedom
Thu, 1/24/2013 - by Trevor Timm
This article originally appeared on Electronic Frontier Foundation

One year ago, Internet users of all ages, races, and political stripes participated in the largest protest in Internet history, flooding Congress with millions of emails and phone calls to demand they drop the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a dangerous bill that would have allowed corporations and the government to censor larger parts of the Web.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense against the numerous, persistent attacks on Internet freedom. We may have all teamed up to trounce SOPA a year ago, but the fight's not over. And the EFF knows what's coming over the horizon better than anyone else. Here's a look at the top five issues SOPA activists should focus on next:

Stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership

After the historic collapse of SOPA, the content industry has claimed it wants to shy away from any more excessive legislation that could potentially censor the Internet. Instead, it has turned its attention to the international stage. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, better known as TPP, is the latest multilateral trade agreement carrying abusive copyright provisions that the United States, on behalf of Hollywood and major copyright-holding interests, is forcing onto citizens of other countries.

Unfortunately, the treaty is being negotiated in complete secrecy and with no democratic oversight, so we don't even know exactly what these countries have been debating. Fortunately, drafts of the agreement have leaked, and it's at least clear the TPP would force countries to drastically lengthen their copyright terms, restrict fair use, institute digital locks to keep people from sharing information, and place greater burdens on websites hosting content. You can read a detailed explanation here. This infographic shows how TPP will affect countries around the world.

Please go to our action center to tell your representative in Congress to demand transparency surrounding TPP negotiations.

Demand Patent Reform

Recently, our broken patent system has proven to be one of the biggest threats to innovation online. Big tech companies have been locked in billion dollar legal patent wars that do nothing for the consumer. Last year, Google and Apple spent more on patent suits than they did research and development. Meanwhile, untold numbers of patent lawsuits (and even mere threats of suits) involve patent trolls, those who sue start-ups for vague patents that can destroy their business before it gets started.

Luckily, people are starting to notice. Noted Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner called the patent system "chaos" and said there are too many patents in America, as he dismissed a prominent case involving Apple and Motorola. The SHIELD Act, written Rep. Peter DeFazio, along with co-sponsor Rep. Jason Chaffetz, would help put an end to a lot of the problems we've been noting for years now. Tell your congressional representative to support real patent reform so the tech industry can thrive.

EFF has set up a webpage called Defendinnovation.org where we lay out possible reforms for the patent system. You can leave you own comment about how the patent system has affected you and sign our petition, which we plan on taking to Congress along with a list of reforms.

Reforming Draconian Computer Crime Law

The Internet has been in mourning as one of its true innovators and pioneers, Aaron Swartz, took his own life at the age 26. He was, of course, an early developer of the RSS specification, Creative Commons, Reddit, and a multitude of other projects. Notably, the SOPA protests likely would not have happened without him. He founded Demand Progress, one of the groups which organized the blackout.

At the time of his death, Aaron was facing a relentless and unjust prosecution under the outdated and draconian Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for the supposed "crime" using MIT's computer network to download millions of academic articles from the online archive JSTOR, allegedly without "authorization." For that, he faced 13 felony counts, which carried the possibility of decades in prison and crippling fines. His case would have gone to trial in April.

EFF, along with a multitude of other groups, have taken a bill written by Rep. Zoe Lofgren and written the first draft of what we hope will become known as "Aaron's Law" which will go a long ways in preventing a similar situation from happening to a freedom fighter like Aaron again. You can take action and email your members of Congress to tell them to support reform of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act here.

Stop the new Internet Surveillance Law

There are rumors that the Obama Administration will propose a far-reaching new Internet surveillance law, dramatically expanding the the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which forces telephone companies to build a wiretap-friendly backdoors into all their technology -- but not social networks and other web-based communications services.

The White House and the FBI have not released what is in the proposed legislation, but one report states the FBI wants to require Internet companies, like Google, Facebook, and Twitter to build the same type of backdoors for real-time government surveillance. This not only poses a threat to privacy, but Internet security and innovation as well. We need to tell Congress this is unacceptable before it's too late.

Protect Cell Phone Location Data

Cell phone location data is some of the most sensitive data one can possibly send out. Your cell phone sends a signal back to cell phone towers every seven seconds; that data, mapped out over days or weeks, can show "an intimate portrait of a person's familial and professional associations, political and religious beliefs, even health status," as the New York Times put it.

The government made a staggering 1.3 million requests for that sort of data last year -- and the government believes they can get it without a warrant. The GPS Act, a bill introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, would force law enforcement to get a warrant for this data, just like the Fourth Amendment should require.

Meanwhile, app developers have also been sucking up users' location information, many times without the user being aware of that collection. It paints just as intimate a picture of people's lives as government tracking does. To that end, Sen. Al Franken has introduced a bill to restrict and regulate the practice so users are better informed and protected when giving this type of information to private companies. In addition, EFF has also written a Mobile Privacy Bill of Rights, serving as a best practices guide that developers should follow when writing applications for cell phones.

3 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

ONE-TIME DONATION

Just use the simple form below to make a single direct donation.

DONATE NOW

MONTHLY DONATION

Be a sustaining sponsor. Give a reacurring monthly donation at any level.

GET SOME MERCH!

Now you can wear your support too! From T-Shirts to tote bags.

SHOP TODAY

Sign Up

Article Tabs

It isn’t difficult to argue that Musk is likely a white supremacist obsessed with increasing the white birthrate and simultaneously killing off undesirables by cutting off their aid.

In a political earthquake last year, the populist and racist Reform Party took 4.1 million votes, coming third, against a backdrop of collapsing living standards and accelerating impoverishment.

There are multiple similarities between Trump and the British monarch when looking at the 27 grievances the framers outlined in their 1776 declaration.

It is not hyperbole to say that the world’s richest man has now illegally seized control of America’s checkbook and the entire federal workforce.

Over the next four years, we’re about to be inundated with a flood of lies—including from federal agencies themselves.

A broad range of Americans are organizing a 24-hour economic boycott on February 28th to protest the ongoing actions of the Trump administration and to send a message to corporate America.

It isn’t difficult to argue that Musk is likely a white supremacist obsessed with increasing the white birthrate and simultaneously killing off undesirables by cutting off their aid.

In a political earthquake last year, the populist and racist Reform Party took 4.1 million votes, coming third, against a backdrop of collapsing living standards and accelerating impoverishment.

There are multiple similarities between Trump and the British monarch when looking at the 27 grievances the framers outlined in their 1776 declaration.

The grassroots opposition to President Donald Trump is hitting the streets everywhere.

It isn’t difficult to argue that Musk is likely a white supremacist obsessed with increasing the white birthrate and simultaneously killing off undesirables by cutting off their aid.

Posted 2 weeks 4 days ago

There are multiple similarities between Trump and the British monarch when looking at the 27 grievances the framers outlined in their 1776 declaration.

Posted 3 weeks 5 days ago

A broad range of Americans are organizing a 24-hour economic boycott on February 28th to protest the ongoing actions of the Trump administration and to send a message to corporate America.

Posted 2 weeks 4 days ago

Over the next four years, we’re about to be inundated with a flood of lies—including from federal agencies themselves.

Posted 1 month 1 week ago

It is not hyperbole to say that the world’s richest man has now illegally seized control of America’s checkbook and the entire federal workforce.

Posted 1 month 1 week ago

It isn’t difficult to argue that Musk is likely a white supremacist obsessed with increasing the white birthrate and simultaneously killing off undesirables by cutting off their aid.

There are multiple similarities between Trump and the British monarch when looking at the 27 grievances the framers outlined in their 1776 declaration.

A broad range of Americans are organizing a 24-hour economic boycott on February 28th to protest the ongoing actions of the Trump administration and to send a message to corporate America.

In a political earthquake last year, the populist and racist Reform Party took 4.1 million votes, coming third, against a backdrop of collapsing living standards and accelerating impoverishment.