Free Speech
The surveillance state is coming.
This is why a surveillance state can't be allowed to exist, it only works if the people running it are benevolent. A madman has been given the keys to the surveillance state
Latest
Events
November 14th Meetup - Austin's Regional Intelligence Center: An Overview
Our speaker this month will be Darryl Jamail. Darryl Jamail is the Commander of the Intelligence Division of the Austin Police Department. He was commissioned in 1994 and has served in numerous assignments including: Patrol Officer, Vehicular Homicide detective, Patrol and Investigations sergeant, Internal Affairs sergeant, and Director of Cadet
Events
October 10th Meetup - Technology and Voter Empowerment
Our speaker this month will be Jeff Cardenas. Jeff Cardenas is a technology strategist who is passionate about using technology to democratize power and improve the human experience. Jeff is a McCombs School of Business graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and began his career as a consultant
Creativity and Innovation
Attend a screening of The Trolls with EFF-Austin
EFF-Austin board member Andrew Donoho will be on a panel for the film The Trolls on Wednesday, October 5th at The Stateside Theater. If you want to learn more about Patent Trolls, this is an event you shouldn't miss. Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-
Security
Mysterious attacker attempting to compromise internet's DNS TLD registry
At our last meetup, we talked about how DNS works and what the implications of the US government ceding some of its legal control to ICANN were. In other DNS news, someone (possibly China) is attempting to figure out how to cripple Verisign's TLD registry. http://boingboing.net/
Events
September 12th Meetup - The Name Space
"The US has confirmed it is finally ready to cede power of the internet’s naming system, ending the almost 20-year process to hand over a crucial part of the internet's governance." ~ Dave Lee, BBC News, http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37114313 Attorney Scott
Events
EFF-Austin Social Meetup
Here at EFF-Austin, we regularly schedule monthly meetups on a variety of interesting topics that are hosted by a diverse set of knowledgeable speakers. While these events are great for educating our community, they don't always afford the most time for our followers to get to know
Events
Cyborg Olympics
If you find yourself in Zurich this fall, check out the inaugural cyborg Olympics. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602105/first-cyborg-olympics-will-celebrate-how-technology-can-help-disabled-people/
Events
August 8th Meetup - Digital Literacy: More Than Just Job Skills
How do technologies extend human capacity and how do they restrain it? What is the positive potential of technology’s amplifying power and what is the negative potential? What holistic development should proceed this amplification? These questions are relevant to responsible engagement with information technologies and the policies surrounding them,
Events
July 11th Meetup - Cyborg Civil Liberties and the Rights of Man
Our speaker this month (Monday, July 11th) will be Rich MacKinnon. Rich is a former president of EFF-Austin and former member of the boards of the ACLU of Texas and the Central Texas Civil Liberties Project. He was present at the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation in the
Free Speech
Apple Patents Technology To Remotely Disable Your Cellphone Camera
Apple has patented a technology that can remotely disable the camera on your cell phone via an infrared signal. Ostensibly created to prevent people from taking pictures and video at concerts and movie theaters, or to prevent students from cheating on tests, it's only a matter of time
Activism
A Victory For Net Neutrality
The FCC's classification of broadband internet under Title II of the Telecommunications Act has been upheld in U.S. Appeals Court. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/14/471286113/u-s-appeals-court-holds-up-net-neutrality-rules-in-full