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Media Briefing Monday: EFF and Partners Will Discuss California Bills Aimed at Weakening State’s Consumer Privacy Law

Lawmakers Carrying Water For Tech Companies Opposed to Strong Privacy Protections

San Francisco—On Monday, June 8, at 11 am, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the ACLU, Common Sense Media, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and Consumer Reports will hold a conference call to brief reporters about five bills designed to weaken consumer privacy protections that are set for hearing in the California Senate.
Members of the media can RSVP to Stephanie Ong, song@commonsense.org, for call-in information to participate in the briefing.
Experts from the organizations will brief reporters on how the proposed measures will water down the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). The proposals, backed by Big Tech interests, will, among other things, create a massive loophole for companies that sell or share information with the government, remove most CCPA protections over data collected by companies about their employees, and increase the cost for Californians to assert privacy rights. The bills are set for hearing June 9 at 1:30 pm before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Experts on the call include:
Lee Tien, EFF Senior Staff Attorney
Hayley Tsukayama, EFF Legislative Activist
Elizabeth Gettelman Galicia, Vice President, Common Sense Kids Action
Ariel Fox Johnson, Senior Counsel, Policy & Privacy, Common Sense Media
Emory Roane, Privacy Counsel, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Jacob Snow, Technology and Civil Liberties Attorney, ACLU
WHAT:
Media Briefing Call
WHO:
EFF, ACLU, Common Sense Media, Consumer Reports, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
WHEN:
Monday, June 8, 11 am
RSVP to Stephanie Ong, song@commonsense.org, for call-in information.
For more about the bills:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/california-assemblys-privacy-committee-votes-weaken-landmark-privacy-law

Contact:  Hayley Tsukayama Legislative Activist hayleyt@eff.org Rebecca Farmer ACLU of Northern California rfstrategies@gmail.com Stephanie Ong Common Sense Media song@commonsense.org

Trump Explains George Washington’s Air Superiority Strategy

Our commander-in-chief said yesterday that the Continental Army “suffered the bitter winter of Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware, and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown.” Fine. But then he said that they also manned the ramparts and “took over the airports.” Today he explains: Trump said his Teleprompter went out […]

We can't feed everyone in this country, but the fireworks displays just keep getting better!

The music at these events always make me feel like I'm at an 8th grade dance.

I always thought it'd be pretty funny to see an ultra right wing, white supremacist, Evangelical Christian gathering, because you know you'll see them dancing to YMCA and Celebration.

Scientists discover the biggest seaweed bloom in the world

The record-breaking belt of brown algae stretches from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico -- and it's likely here to stay, says a team.

Europe’s two-faced authoritarian right: ‘anti-elite’ parties serving big business interests | Corporate Europe Observatory prismo.xyz/posts/feda9445-8031

Victory: Somerville, Massachusetts Stands Up to Stop Face Surveillance

The city council of Somerville, Massachusetts voted unanimously last week to become the first city on the East Coast to ban government face surveillance. It is encouraging to see cities across the country take this proactive step in anticipating the surveillance problems on the horizon and head them off in advance. This is far easier than trying to put the proverbial genie back in the bottle after it causes harm.

“In Somerville we take fairness, justice, and individual liberties seriously,” Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone tweeted after signing the ordinance, which was introduced by Somerville City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen. “Facial recognition software automates civil rights abuses and extends (and somewhat corporatizes) a pervasive surveillance state.”

Face recognition technology can be used for identifying or verifying the identity of an individual using photos or video. Government can even conduct dragnet, real-time face surveillance of entire neighborhoods. Face recognition technology is also prone to error, implicating people for crimes they haven’t committed.

In addition to banning government face surveillance in its own city, the Somerville city council has also endorsed a pair of bills that would place a moratorium on face surveillance across Massachusetts.

Take Action

Tell your legislators to press the pause button on face surveillance

Polling from the ACLU of Massachusetts has more than three-quarters—79 percent—of likely Massachusetts voters supporting a statewide moratorium.

Local governments lead the way in taking on the threat that face surveillance poses to our communities. San Francisco in May became the first city in the country to ban government face surveillance and also ensure a more informed and democratic process before the San Francisco Police Department and other city agencies may acquire other kinds of surveillance technologies.

Other lawmakers should take note. Governments should immediately stop use of face surveillance in our communities, given what researchers at MIT’s Media Lab and others have said about its high error rates—particularly for women and people of color. But even if manufacturers someday mitigate these risks, government use of face recognition technology will still threaten safety and privacy, amplify discrimination in our criminal justice system, and chill every resident’s free speech.

Massachusetts, tell your lawmakers: it’s time to hit the pause button on face surveillance.

Census Citizenship Question Back in Limbo

Sigh: A day after pledging that the 2020 census would not ask respondents about their citizenship, the Justice Department reversed course on Wednesday and said it was hunting for a way to restore the question on orders from President Trump. Officials told a federal judge in Maryland that they thought there would be a way […]

"Tanks are rolling into Washington DC tomorrow" ... too bad it's not a coup.

circlejerks.bandcamp.com/track

15 years ago, EFF's @doctorow told Microsoft:

1. That DRM systems don't work

2. That DRM systems are bad for society

3. That DRM systems are bad for business

4. That DRM systems are bad for artists

5. That DRM is a bad business-move

He was right.

vice.com/en_us/article/3k3wkk/

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