Press Releases: September, 2003
RIAA Finds Few Takers for Shamnesty
The Recording Industry Association of America today announced that 838 of the 60 million Americans who file-share have accepted its "Clean Slate" offer. "At such a paltry uptake rate, the RIAA program looks more like a blank slate," says EFF Staff Attorney Wendy Seltzer.
EFF Supports the Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act
EFF applauds the introduction last week of legislation that would repeal USA PATRIOT Act provisions that threaten citizens' privacy rights. The Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act (HR 3171), introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich along with 20 Congressional cosponsors, would repeal more than ten sections of USA PATRIOT, including those authorizing "sneak & peek" searches, surveillance of Internet activites without probable cause, and warrantless searches of library, medical and financial records.
Flawed E-Voting Standard Sent Back to Drawing Board
Electronic Frontier Foundation: Victory for Fair Elections
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
today applauded a technical working group for heeding
critics who called for rejection of a flawed electronic
voting standard proposal that failed to require adequate
security measures.
The working group of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) drafted the electronic
voting standard in an environment plagued by a lack of
consensus, procedural misconduct, and serious security
oversights.
Recording Industry Withdraws Music Sharing Lawsuit
Lack of Due Process Leads to Mistaken Identity
San Francisco - Seven major record labels dismissed charges
of copyright infringement leveled at a 65-year-old educator,
artist, and grandmother from Massachusetts late last week.
Sarah Ward was one of 261 individuals sued by the recording
industry for allegedly sharing copyrighted music using
peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing systems.
What was the problem? The recording industry charged Ward
with sharing songs using the KaZaA filesharing software, but
she owns only a Macintosh computer which cannot run KaZaA.
Verisign's "Sitefinder" Harms Internet
Internet services company Verisign, which controls portions of the Domain Name System (DNS), has abruptly implemented a scheme in which people who mistakenly enter a non-existent domain name are redirected to Verisign advertising. This move has shocked and outraged network administrators.
Voting Machine Standard Generates Controversy
Electronic Frontier Foundation Advocates Secure Elections
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
today urged a technical association to stop balloting on a
flawed proposal for an electronic voting machine standard.
EFF invited concerned parties to write letters to the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
(IEEE), requesting an electronic voting machine standard
that requires secure, voter-verifiable election equipment
and technologies that support open democratic principles of
governance.
Recording Industry Announces Lawsuits Against Music Sharers
Electronic Frontier Foundation Warning on "Amnesty" Program
San Francisco - The Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) today filed 261 lawsuits against people who
allegedly shared copyrighted music online. The RIAA
announced plans to sue more file-sharers and introduced an
"amnesty" program available only to file-sharers who the
RIAA has not yet identified or sued.
Recording Industry Plans "Amnesty" for Music Sharers
Electronic Frontier Foundation Says Share, Get Artists Paid
San Francisco - Numerous news sources, including Billboard
and Associated Press, have reported since yesterday that the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will
announce an "amnesty" program for people who are sharing
music files online perhaps as early as next week.
Congress Plans Hearings on Recording Industry Tactics
Electronic Frontier Foundation, 95 Orgs Support Hearings
San Francisco - Ninety-five organizations, ranging across
the political spectrum, today sent letters to the chairs of
the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees and the
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to thank them for planning
hearings on the subpoena provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA).
The organizations expressed their concern that these
subpoenas, such as the ones filed by the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA), invade the privacy of Internet users without due
process of law.
EFF Comment on DMCA Garage Door Opener Ruling
A federal district court in Chicago has rejected an effort by garage door opener vendor Chamberlain to use the DMCA to ban its competitor, Skylink, from selling replacement "clickers" for Chamberlain openers.
