 Welcome to Effector 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. Check the show notes for links to all of our stories. This is Effector, Volume 33, Issue 5, titled, Apple's plan to think different about encryption opens a backdoor to your private life. This issue was published on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021, and I'm your host, member outreach assistant Christian Romero. Let's start with some top features. First up, Apple's plan to think different about encryption opens a backdoor to your private life. Apple is planning to build a backdoor into its data storage system and its messaging system. Apple has historically been a champion of end-to-end encryption for all the same reasons that EFF has articulated time and time again. But the company has announced that changes to its operating systems would include new protections for children features in iCloud and iMessage. When Apple releases these client-side-scanning functionalities, users of iCloud photos, child users of iMessage, and anyone who talks to a minor through iMessage will have to carefully consider their privacy and security priorities in light of the changes, and possibly be unable to safely use what until this development was one of the preeminent encrypted messengers. Apple's compromise on end-to-end encryption may appease government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, but it is a shocking aboutface for users who have relied on the company's leadership and privacy and security. All it would take to widen the narrow backdoor that Apple is building is an expansion of the machine learning parameters to look for additional types of content or tweak the configuration flags to scan not just children's but everyone's accounts. That's not a slippery slope. That's a fully built system just waiting for external pressure to make the slightest change. Next up, if you build it, they will come. Apple has opened the backdoor to increased surveillance and censorship around the world. Apple is a global company with phones and computers in use all over the world, and governmental pressure comes with that. For years, countries around the world have asked for access to and control over encrypted messages, asking technology companies to, quote, nerd harder when faced with the pushback that access to messages in the clear was incompatible with strong encryption. Now that Apple has built it, they will come. With good intentions, Apple has paved the road to mandate its security weakness around the world, enabling and reinforcing the arguments that, should the intentions be good enough, scanning through your personal life and private communications is acceptable. We urge Apple to reconsider and return to the mantra the company so memorably emblazoned on a billboard at 2019 CES conference in Las Vegas. What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone. And for our last feature, speak out against Apple's mass surveillance plans. Mass surveillance is not an acceptable crime fighting strategy, no matter how well-intentioned the spying. If you're upset about Apple's recent announcement that the next version of iOS will install surveillance software in every iPhone, we need you to speak up about it. Sign our petition telling Apple, don't scan our phones. Moving along, let's go through some EFF updates. First up, the cryptocurrency surveillance provision buried in the infrastructure bill is a disaster for digital privacy. Biden's infrastructure bill, a 2000 plus page bill designed to update the United States roads, highways and digital infrastructure, contains a poorly crafted provision that could create new surveillance requirements for many within the blockchain ecosystem. This could include developers and others who do not control digital assets on behalf of users. Next up, it's time for a police to stop using ShotSpotter. Court documents recently reviewed by Vice have revealed that ShotSpotter, a company that makes and sells audio gunshot detection to cities and police departments, may not be as accurate or reliable as the company claims. Next, Facebook's attack on research is everyone's problem. Facebook recently banned the accounts of several New York University researchers who run Ad Observer, an accountability project that tracks paid disinformation. This has major implications, not just for transparency, but for user autonomy and the fight for interoperable software. And last, this CAPTCHA patent is an all-american nightmare. Defenders of the American Dream LLC is sending out demand letters to websites that use Google's re-CAPTCHA system, accusing them of infringing on US patent number 8621578. Looking at the history of this patent, which shares no code at all, makes it clear why the patent system is such a bad fit for software. Time for some announcements. Psyper Session, back to school. Schools in, however you feel about it, join Psyper, a local organization in the Electronic Frontier Alliance, on August 21st at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, as they talk about ways students can help keep their privacy in mind on their devices while navigating the academically and socially rigorous new school year. Next up, EFF is going to be at DragonCon 2021. From September 2nd to September 6th, EFF will be at this year's DragonCon, a multimedia pop culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film. Various EFF staff members will be featured in talks on the Electronic Frontier's forums track during the event, in person and online, so be sure to check them out. Hey look, EFF has a job opening. Associate Director of Institutional Support. EFF seeks an Associate Director of Institutional Support who is an outstanding and experienced writer to assist with the institutional funding strategy and the development and prospecting of institutional funders, organizational members, and donors. Apply today. And last up, we've got some mini-links. Online Violence Response Hub launches. To protect women journalists online, the Coalition Against Online Violence has just launched the Online Violence Response Hub, a project of the IWMF with the ICFJ, a robust resource center where women journalists can find updated research, emergency assistance, and easy to follow recommendations on their specific situation. This next one is from Politico. We need more protection from government surveillance, not less. Regulated encryption is just a euphemism for government back doors into our communications. This next one's from Wired. Citizens' new service helps paying users some in the cops. Citizen plans to offer a $20 monthly service that lets users contact the company's team of virtual agents for help whenever they feel threatened. Essentially, the Karen of Apps. And our last mini-link comes from Unicorn Riot. Line 3 Fusion Center data declared secret. The Minnesota Fusion Center, a federal state law enforcement partnership, has been surveilling water protectors who are trying to protect their land and water sources from tar sand pipelines. And that's it. We made 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 want to let you know that EFF is a member-supported non-profit organization and you can help us fight for 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. That's EFF.org slash EFF ECT. You can become a member for as little as $25 or even sign up as a monthly or annual donor. Thanks for your support. And I hope you'll join us for the next issue of Effector.