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In our 695th issue:
For years, patent trolls have exploited a rule that lets them file disputes in any court in the United States. One district with particularly plaintiff-friendly practices hears nearly half of all patent cases in the country.
Cases should be litigated in courts that have a meaningful connection to the dispute, not where one party thinks it can get an advantage. The VENUE Act would make the process of determining venue more fair for both sides.
The VENUE Act is not the comprehensive reform we need, but we can’t keep waiting while unfair procedural rules put innovators and small businesses at an unfair disadvantage. Let’s tell Congress to pass the VENUE Act now.
EFF Updates
The Apple Fight Is About All of Us
The fight between the FBI and Apple isn’t just about one phone or one company. It is the fight of every person who believes in a future where technology does not come at the cost of privacy or individual security. Join EFF, the ACLU, and Access Now in urging President Obama to stand up for security.
Tweet at Obama now.
Good News for Now: Court Postpones Hearing in Apple v. FBI
At the FBI’s request, a magistrate in Riverside, CA, canceled this week’s hearing in the case over the FBI’s order to compromise iPhone security. We’re grateful to everyone who stood up for security and showed the FBI that the world was watching. But the fight is far from over.
Want to learn more about the case? Learn how the FBI’s order implicates your freedom of speech.
Where Is Bassel? Four Years On, We Still Need to Know
Bassel Khartabil, open source developer, Wikipedian, and free culture advocate, was taken from his friends and family four years ago. EFF joins Human Rights Watch and 30 other organizations in demanding that the Syrian authorities reveal the whereabouts of Bassel and release him immediately.
Pushing Back Against DRM at W3C
As the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) meets in Boston this week, EFF is there to send the message that supporting DRM (digital rights management) is bad for the Web, bad for interoperability, and bad for W3C itself.
Fixing FOIA: Senate-Passed Bill Is a Good Start, but More Is Needed
The Freedom of Information Act, the 50-year-old government transparency law, is badly in need of an update. The Senate recently passed a bill that would improve FOIA in a few important ways, but a much stronger reform is still needed.
The Foilies: Recognizing the Worst Government Responses to Public Records Requests
Every year, we find the worst excuses that government officials give for rejecting requests for public information. This year, there are plenty to choose from. Meet the 2016 Foilie winners.
miniLinks
TIME: Code Is Free Speech
EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn explains why the FBI’s demand on Apple is an attack on free speech.
Motherboard: 'Chilling Effect' of Mass Surveillance Is Silencing Dissent Online, Study Says
NSA spying doesn’t just compromise people’s privacy; it can also cause them to censor their own speech.
Texas Examiner: Law Enforcement, Private Companies Using Plate Readers to Build Enormous Database
The Examiner digs into the disturbing trend of local law enforcement collecting massive amounts of data on drivers.
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Administrivia
Editor:
Elliot Harmon, Activist
editor@eff.org
EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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