Author: Corynne McSherry

Executive Order to the State Department Sideswipes Freedom Tools, Threatens Censorship Resistance, Privacy, and Anonymity of Millions

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on Executive Order to the State Department Sideswipes Freedom Tools, Threatens Censorship Resistance, Privacy, and Anonymity of Millions

In the first weeks of the Trump Administration, we have witnessed a spate of sweeping, confusing, and likely unconstitutional executive orders, including some that have already had devastating human consequences. EFF is tracking many of them, as well as other developments that impact digital rights.  Right now, we want to draw attention to one of […]

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EFF to State AGs: Time to Investigate Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on EFF to State AGs: Time to Investigate Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Discovering that you’re pregnant can trigger a mix of emotions—excitement, uncertainty, or even distress—depending on your circumstances. Whatever your feelings are, your next steps will likely involve disclosing that news, along with other deeply personal information, to a medical provider or counselor as you explore your options. Many people will choose to disclose that information […]

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What Proponents of Digital Replica Laws Can Learn from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on What Proponents of Digital Replica Laws Can Learn from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, and addressing what’s at stake, and what we need to do to make sure that copyright promotes creativity and […]

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Ninth Circuit Gets It: Interoperability Isn’t an Automatic First Step to Liability

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on Ninth Circuit Gets It: Interoperability Isn’t an Automatic First Step to Liability

A federal appeals court just gave software developers, and users, an early holiday present, holding that software updates aren’t necessarily “derivative,” for purposes of copyright law, just because they are designed to interoperate the software they update. This sounds kind of obscure, so let’s cut through the legalese. Lots of developers build software designed to interoperate […]

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Courts Agree That No One Should Have a Monopoly Over the Law. Congress Shouldn’t Change That

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on Courts Agree That No One Should Have a Monopoly Over the Law. Congress Shouldn’t Change That

Some people just don’t know how to take a hint. For more than a decade, giant standards development organizations (SDOs) have been fighting in courts around the country, trying use copyright law to control access to other laws. They claim that that they own the copyright in the text of some of the most important […]

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The X Corp. Shutdown in Brazil: What We Can Learn

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on The X Corp. Shutdown in Brazil: What We Can Learn

Update (10/8/2024): Brazil lifted a ban on the X Corp. social media platform today after the country’s Supreme Court said the company had complied with all of its orders. Regulators have 24 hours to reinstate the platform, though it could take longer for it to come back online. The feud between X Corp. and Brazil’s […]

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NO FAKES – A Dream for Lawyers, a Nightmare for Everyone Else

Corynne McSherryLeave a Comment on NO FAKES – A Dream for Lawyers, a Nightmare for Everyone Else

Performers and ordinary humans are increasingly concerned that they may be replaced or defamed by AI-generated imitations. We’re seeing a host of bills designed to address that concern – but every one just generates new problems. Case in point: the NO FAKES Act. We flagged numerous flaws in a “discussion draft” back in April, to […]

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