Author: Rindala Alajaji

If you’ve read about the sudden appearance of age verification across the internet in the UK and thought it would never happen in the U.S., take note: many politicians want the same or even more strict laws. As of July 1st, South Dakota and Wyoming enacted laws requiring any website that hosts any sexual content […]

In a promising sign that public pressure works, several crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs, also known as “fake clinics”) have quietly scrubbed misleading language about privacy protections from their websites.  Earlier this year, EFF sent complaints to attorneys general in eight states (FL, TX, AR, and MO, TN, OK, NE, and NC), asking them to investigate […]

If you thought going to a Pride event or drag show was just another night out, think again. If you were in Florida, it might land your name in a government database. That’s what’s happening in Vero Beach, FL, where the Florida Attorney General’s office has subpoenaed a local restaurant, The Kilted Mermaid, demanding surveillance […]

In a chilling sign of how far law enforcement surveillance has encroached on personal liberties, 404 Media recently revealed that a sheriff’s office in Texas searched data from more than 83,000 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras to track down a woman suspected of self-managing an abortion. The officer searched 6,809 different camera networks maintained […]

We’ve seen plenty of bad tech bills in recent years, often cloaked in vague language about “online safety.” But Florida’s SB 868 doesn’t even pretend to be subtle: the state wants a backdoor into encrypted platforms if minors use them, and for law enforcement to have easy access to your messages. This bill should set […]

In a bold push for medical privacy, Hawaii’s House of Representatives has introduced HCR 144/HR 138, a resolution calling for the Hawaii Attorney General to investigate whether crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are violating patient privacy laws.  Often referred to as “fake clinics” or “unregulated pregnancy centers” (UPCs), these are non-medical centers that provide  free pregnancy […]

I’m old enough to remember when age verification bills were pitched as a way to ‘save the kids from porn’ and shield them from other vague dangers lurking in the digital world (like…“the transgender”). We have long cautioned about the dangers of these laws, and pointed out why they are likely to fail. While they […]

With the rise of digital surveillance, securing our health data is no longer just a privacy issue—it’s a matter of personal safety. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and the growing restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care, protecting our personal health data has never been more important. And in […]

With reproductive rights under fire across the U.S. and globally, access to accurate abortion information has never been more critical—especially online.  That’s why reproductive health and rights organizations have turned to online platforms to share essential, sometimes life-saving, guidance and resources. Whether it’s how to access information about abortion medication, where to find clinics, or […]

Big Tech is borrowing a page from Big Tobacco’s playbook to wage war on your privacy, according to Jake Snow of the ACLU of Northern California. We agree.   In the 1990s, the tobacco industry attempted to use federal law to override a broad swath of existing state laws and prevent states from future action on […]