Google is on the Wrong Side of History

Google continues to show us why it chose to abandon its old motto of “Don’t Be Evil,” as it becomes more and more enmeshed with the military-industrial complex. Most recently, Google has removed four key points from its AI principles. Specifically, it previously read that the company would not pursue AI applications involving (1) weapons, […]

Continue Reading

NSA Surveillance and Section 702 of FISA: 2024 in Review

Mass surveillance authority Section 702 of FISA, which allows the government to collect international communications, many of which happen to have one side in the United States, has been renewed several times since its creation with the passage of the 2008 FISA Amendments Act. This law has been an incessant threat to privacy for over […]

Continue Reading

Police Use of Face Recognition Continues to Wrack Up Real-World Harms

Police have shown, time and time again, that they cannot be trusted with face recognition technology (FRT). It is too dangerous, invasive, and in the hands of law enforcement, a perpetual liability. EFF has long argued that face recognition, whether it is fully accurate or not, is too dangerous for police use,  and such use […]

Continue Reading

FTC Rightfully Acts Against So-Called “AI Weapon Detection” Company Evolv

The Federal Trade Commission has entered a settlement with self-styled “weapon detection” company Evolv, to resolve the FTC’s claim that the company “knowingly” and repeatedly” engaged in “unlawful” acts of misleading claims about their technology. Essentially, Evolv’s technology, which is in schools, subways, and stadiums, does far less than they’ve been claiming.  The FTC alleged […]

Continue Reading

The U.S. National Security State is Here to Make AI Even Less Transparent and Accountable

The Biden White House has released a memorandum on “Advancing United States’ Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” which includes, among other things, a directive for the National Security apparatus to become a world leader in the use of AI. Under direction from the White House, the national security state is expected to take up this leadership […]

Continue Reading

How Many U.S. Persons Does Section 702 Spy On? The ODNI Needs to Come Clean.

EFF has joined with 23 other organizations including the ACLU, Restore the Fourth, the Brennan Center for Justice, Access Now, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation to demand that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) furnish the public with an estimate of exactly how many U.S. persons’ communications have been hoovered […]

Continue Reading

California Attorney General Issues New Guidance on Military Equipment to Law Enforcement

California law enforcement should take note: the state’s Attorney General has issued a new bulletin advising them on how to comply with AB 481—a state law that regulates how law enforcement agencies can use, purchase, and disclose information about military equipment at their disposal. This important guidance comes in the wake of an exposé showing […]

Continue Reading

Prosecutors in Washington State Warn Police: Don’t Use Gen AI to Write Reports

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which handles all prosecutions in the Seattle area, has instructed police in no uncertain terms: do not use AI to write police reports…for now. This is a good development. We hope prosecutors across the country will exercise such caution as companies continue to pedal technology – generative artificial intelligence […]

Continue Reading

You Really Do Have Some Expectation of Privacy in Public

Being out in the world advocating for privacy often means having to face a chorus of naysayers and nihilists. When we spend time fighting the expansion of Automated License Plate Readers capable of tracking cars as they move, or the growing ubiquity of both public and private surveillance cameras, we often here a familiar refrain: […]

Continue Reading