 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 Volume 35, Issues 6, Titled, House of Control Speech, and Break Encryption in 3 Acts. This issue was published on Monday, May 15, 2023, and I'm your host, Membership Advocate Christian Romero. Let's start with some top features. First up, the Kids Online Safety Act is still a huge danger to our rights online. Congress has resurrected the Kids Online Safety Act, COSA, a bill that would increase surveillance and restrict access to information in the name of protecting children online. Today's version of COSA would still require surveillance of anyone 16 and under, it would put the tools of censorship in the hands of state attorneys general, it would greatly endanger the rights and safety of young people online. And COSA's burdens will affect adults too, who will likely face hurdles in accessing legal content online as a result of this bill. The STOP CSAM Act would put security and free speech at risk. A new U.S. Senate bill aims to remove child sexual abuse material, also known as CSAM, from the internet. But, the bill would also make it a crime to offer encryption, because it could facilitate the sharing of a legal child abuse material, even if there's no evidence that a platform or service intended to do so. The law would undermine digital security for all internet users, impacting private messaging and email app providers, social media platforms, cloud storage providers, and many other internet intermediaries and online services. And for our last feature, the ERNA Act is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos. The ERNA Act creates an unelected government commission, stacks it with law enforcement personnel, and then tasks it with creating best practices for running an internet website or app. If ERNA passes, we're likely to see state lawmakers step in and mandate scanning of messages and other files similar to the plan that Apple wisely walked away from last year. Digital rights supporters sent more than 200,000 messages to Congress to kill earlier versions of this bill. We've beaten it twice before, and we can do it again. We need your support to stop the ERNA Act one more time. And now, let's go through some EFF updates. First up, EFF and ECNL's comment to the meta-oversight board on the term Shahid. EFF recently submitted comments with the European Center for Nonprofit Law, ECNL, to the oversight board on the moderation of the Arabic word Shahid. EFF and ECNL's comments address the overmoderation of the word and other Arabic language content, particularly through the use of automated content moderation tools. Next up, California bill to stop dragnet surveillance of people seeking reproductive and gender affirming care passes key committees. AB793 seeks to protect people seeking abortion and gender affirming care from dragnet style digital surveillance. EFF is a proud cosponsor of the bill, which has passed two key committees in the California assembly. If you're a Californian who'd like to express your support for protecting privacy of vulnerable people seeking health care, please speak up for this bill. Next, podcast episode. Safer sex work means a safer internet. An internet that is safe for sex workers is an internet that is safer for everyone. Public interest technology lawyer Kendra Albert and sex worker, activist and researcher Danielle Blunt join EFF Cindy Cohen and Jason Kelly to talk about the failures of foster SESTA, the need for encryption to create a safe internet and how to create cross movement relationships with other activists. Next up, neighborhood watch out. Cops are incorporating private cameras into their real time surveillance networks. In a quiet but rapid expansion of law enforcement surveillance, US cities are buying and promoting products from Georgia based company FUSUS in order to access on demand live video from public and private camera networks. Every store trips walks down the street and otherwise minding your own business when outside your home could soon come under the ever present eye of the government. Next up, federal appeals court gets it. Fair use protects security research tools. In a refreshingly direct opinion, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that creating and selling virtualization software for security research is fair use. Along the way, it provides a kind of masterclass in applying copyrights, fair use doctrine to functional works like computer programs. And for our last update, eight years holding ISPs to account in Latin America, a comparative outlook of victories and challenges for user privacy. Latin American and Spanish telecommunications companies have made important advances in their privacy policies and practices, but persistent gaps and worrying trends pose potential risks for internet and mobile phone users. We've released a report based on the analyses and assessment of industry practices by EFF partners over the last eight years to shed light on telecom and internet service providers' commitments to user privacy. And now we have one announcement. New Stay Golden hooded sweatshirt. Snag our new heavier weight hoodie with raglan sleeves and gun middle zipper from our shop or when you donate at the titanium level or above. Next up, we have a few events. First, EFF at Black Hat USA. EFF is once again excited to be back in Las Vegas for Black Hat USA from August 5th to August 10th. If you are interested in submitting a talk to Black Hat, you can contact info at EFF.org about any legal concerns regarding your talk or any sensitive info security research you are conducting. Next up, No Ethics in Big Tech, Comedy Night. On May 20th, No Ethics in Big Tech, a local organization in the Electronic Frontier Alliance, is hosting an online comedy night to discuss the ethical implications of technology, the latest developments in tech, and the importance of a free and independent press in the age of algorithmic news feeds. And now let's talk about a job opening. Public Interest Technology Director. EFF is looking for a full-time Public Interest Technology Director to lead our distributed 15-person Public Interest Technology team, including CERPA engineers, Privacy Badger developers, and growing group of public-facing technology analysts, security researchers, and expert rabble-rousers. Applications accepted until May 19th. And finally, let's go through some mini-links. First up from The Verge, the UK's tortured attempt to remake the internet. The UK's online safety bill aims to make the country the safest place in the world to be online, but is a threat to free expression and privacy online. EFF warns that the bill could become a blueprint for repression around the world. Next up from the Columbia Journalism Review. Journalists are under threat at border zones. Around the world, authorities at ports of entry are granted latitude to search and detain individuals. EFF's Adam Schwartz discusses how law enforcement and intelligent agencies in the US seem more and more excited about this kind of end-run around the Constitution. Next up from Reason, new Senate bill would turn online services into narks. The Cooper-Davis Act would force online services to monitor and report any mentions of illicit intoxicants. It also gives companies incentive to search private messages to find protected speech that is merely indicative of illegal behavior. EFF's Mario Trujillo outlines the concerns. Next up from USA Today, they were flooded by online harassment and hatred. They didn't know what targeted campaign caused it. While Americans enjoy significant freedom of speech because of the First Amendment, individuals do not have absolute free reign to use speech that intentionally harasses or intimidates others. EFF's Aaron Mackie breaks it down. Next up from PBS, how Louisiana police are using a DNA lab in a box to solve crimes. Law enforcement officials consider rapid DNA technology as a big boost to investigative work. But it is a strong likelihood that people will be implicated for crimes they didn't commit based on DNA sample. EFF's Jennifer Lynch warns against technologies like rapid DNA. Our last mini-link comes from Miss Magazine. Miles Apart, Texas and California lawmakers stake opposite corners of abortion policy. It's about 1,500 miles from Austin to Sacramento, but Texas and California lawmakers are a million miles apart on how to treat private data and free speech related to reproductive health. EFF's Jennifer Pinsoff and Haley Tsukayama explain the high stakes. And that's it. Thanks for listening. If you like what you're hearing, be sure to sign up for the email version of Effector, which includes links to in-depth coverage of these stories and more. See past issues and subscribe at EFF.org slash Effector. Before we end this issue of the newsletter, I just want to let you know that EFF is a member-supported nonprofit organization and you can help us protect digital privacy, security and free expression for everyone. Donate to EFF today and even grab a bit of gear by heading over to EFF.org slash Effect. You can also grab that new Stay Golden hoodie by going to EFF.org slash hoodie. Thanks for your support and I hope you'll join us for the next issue of Effector.