EFF is dismayed to learn of the decision by Brazilian prosecutors to charge journalist Glenn Greenwald under the country’s computer crime law.

EFF has long warned that cybersecurity laws in the Americas have been written and interpreted so broadly as to invite misuse. Computer crime laws should never be used to criminalize legitimate journalistic practice.  Prosecutors must not apply them without considering the chilling effects on the free press, and the risk of politicized prosecutions.

In free societies, journalists play an important role in challenging and criticizing governmental officials and scrutinizing their actions and policies. It is a threat to democracy when authorities use cybercrime laws to punish their critics, as the Brazilian government has done here with Glenn Greenwald, and it discourages journalists from using technology to best serve the public.  

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Deeplinks Blog by Jillian C. York, Katitza Rodriguez | September 25, 2024

Calls to Scrap Jordan's Cybercrime Law Echo Calls to Reject Cybercrime Treaty

In a number of countries around the world, communities—and particularly those that are already vulnerable—are threatened by expansive cybercrime and surveillance legislation. One of those countries is Jordan, where a cybercrime law enacted in 2023 has been used against LGBTQ+ people, journalists, human rights defenders, and those criticizing the government.