 Welcome to Affector from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. This is the audio edition of EFF's email newsletter geared towards keeping you on the bleeding edge of your digital rights. This is Affector of Volume 36, Issue 5, titled, About Face Recognition. This issue was published in April 2024 and I'm your host, Membership Advocate Christian Romero. Let's start with our top features. First up, EFF submits comments on FRT to commission on civil rights. Our faces are often exposed and, unlike passwords or pin numbers, cannot be remade. Governments and businesses, often working in partnership, are increasingly using our faces to track our whereabouts, activities, and associations. This is why EFF recently submitted comments to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is preparing a report on facial recognition technology. Also, see how Electronic Frontier Alliance member, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, also known as STOP, is leading the fight to ban the scan in New York. Next up, how to fix the Internet podcast, About Face Recognition with Kashmir Hill. New York Times reporter Kashmir Hill, whose book about Clearview AI's rise and practices was published last fall, speaks with EFF Cindy Cohen and Jason Kelly about how face recognition technology's rapid evolution may have outpaced ethics and regulations and where we might go from here. And now, let's roll through some EFF updates. First up, tell the U.S. Senate, STOP R-I-S-A-A, the FISA mass surveillance expansion. The House of Representatives has passed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, a FISA reauthorization bill that greatly increases the scope of information the government can collect under Section 702, and lets the government use this unaccountable and out-of-control mass surveillance authority to spy on hopeful immigrants and asylum seekers. Help us tell the Senate to kill this awful bill. Next up, the tech apocalypse panic is driven by AI boosters, military tacticians, and movies. There's an easy way to make sure that SkyNet or Ultron can't trigger the apocalypse. Don't give them the nukes. Next, Inter-American Court finds that Columbia agencies violated human rights of lawyers defending activists. In a landmark ruling for fundamental freedoms in Columbia, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that for over two decades the state government harassed, surveilled, and persecuted members of a lawyer's group that defends human rights defenders, activists, and indigenous people, putting attorneys' lives at risk. EFF had filed an amicus brief in the case. Next, Americans deserve more than the current American Privacy Rights Act. EFF is concerned that a new federal bill would freeze consumer privacy data protections in place by preempting existing state laws and preventing states from creating stronger protections in the future. Federal law should be a floor on which states can build, not a ceiling. And for our last update, tell the FCC it must clarify its rules to prevent loopholes that will swallow net neutrality whole. The Federal Communications Commission has released draft rules to reinstate net neutrality, with a vote on adopting the rules to come April 25th. But the FCC needs to close some loopholes in this draft rules before then, and you can help us clean this up. Now we have a few announcements. First up, what does EFF mean to you? EFF is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world, championing user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. Our mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world. But what does that mean to you? We'd love to know what you think. Why do you support us? How do you see our mission? And what's the issue that you're most glad we're addressing? Drop a line at testimonials at EFF.org and let us know. Next up, EFF's 8th Annual Tech Trivia Night. Join us for EFF's 8th Annual Tech Trivia Night, the Ultimate Technology Quiz, on Thursday, May 9th at Public Works in San Francisco. Explore the obscure monotony of digital security, online rights, and internet culture while competing for the first, second, and third place trophies and EFF swag. It's 55 per person, but only 45 for current EFF members with dinner and drinks included. It's sure to be a great night. Next, EFF at Hope 15. EFF is excited to be at Hope 15 from July 12th through 14th in New York City. Register now for in-person or virtual attendance to show your support for EFF. Until April 30th, Hope is donating 10% of all ticket sales to EFF. And for our last announcement, EFF at Black Hat USA. Will we see you at Black Hat USA in Las Vegas? If you're an EFF supporter interested in attending, be sure to use code EFF2024 to get $200 off your ticket when registering online. And now, let's go through some mini-links. First up, from Business Insider. Elon Musk may have a point in his fight against Brazil, but he's not actually helping. Elon Musk is wading into a war with Brazil over orders from the country's Supreme Court to ban certain ex-accounts that help spread election misinformation. While the country deals with a debate about balancing free speech with significant threats to its democracy, Musk's outside voice, which is embodying the anti-democratic wing of the far right, isn't helping. EFF's Verdeana Alimanti said. Next up from Wired, Jeffrey Epstein's Island visitors exposed by Data Broker. Nearly 200 mobile devices of people who visited Jeffrey Epstein's notorious pedophile island in the years prior to his death left an invisible trail of data pointing back at their homes and offices. Next from the Intercept, the other players who helped almost make the world's biggest backdoor hack. A shadowy figure spent years ingratiating themselves to a developer, then injected a backdoor that could have taken over millions of computers. And this last one is from the Wisconsin Examiner. Milwaukee police seek open-source intelligence tool for RNC. Quote, technology like this is just really a high-tech way of gathering intelligence on people exercising their First Amendment rights under the pretext of public safety. It snoops on everyone, regardless of any connection to a crime. And quote, EFF's Dave Moss said. And that's a wrap. Thanks for listening. If you like what you're hearing, or would like to learn more, subscribe at EFF.org slash AFFECTOR. Did you know that EFF is a member-supported nonprofit organization? You can help us protect digital freedoms online by donating at EFF.org slash AFFECT and even grab some of our latest member gear. Thanks for your support, and I hope you'll join us for the next issue of AFFECTOR.