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EFFector - Volume 25, Issue 4 - Dear Hollywood: An Open Letter to the Hardworking Folks in the Entertainment Industries

EFFECTOR

EFFector - Volume 25, Issue 4 - Dear Hollywood: An Open Letter to the Hardworking Folks in the Entertainment Industries

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EFFector! Electronic Frontier Foundation

In our 599th issue:

Dear Hollywood: An Open Letter to the Hardworking Folks in the Entertainment Industries

The Internet can be great for creators and their community, but Hollywood's own leadership refuses to recognize and take advantage of its promise. It seems they’d rather spend membership dues on lawyers, lobbyists and astroturf than innovation. We humbly suggest that the men and women of the entertainment industries stand up and tell their bosses to either embrace the age of the Internet or get out of the way so that new, forward-thinking industry leaders can take their place.

Don't Let TPP Become the New ACTA: Contact Your Lawmakers and Demand Transparency!

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a trade agreement currently being negotiated by the United States and eight other countries. Like ACTA, the TPP is being negotiated in secret, and on a fast timetable. Entertainment industry executives who are members of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee will likely get to see the agreement drafts -- again -- but the rest of us will be kept in the dark unless we speak up now.

Time to Act on Companies Selling Mass Spy Gear to Authoritarian Regimes

On Wednesday, EFF will give recommendations to the European Parliament for how to combat one of the most troubling problems facing democracy activists around the world: the fact that European and American companies are providing key surveillance technology to authoritarian governments that is then being used to aid repression.

EFF Updates

What Actually Changed in Google's Privacy Policy

Google recently announced a new, simplified privacy policy. Unfortunately, while the policy might be easier to understand, Google did a less impressive job of publicly explaining what in the policy had actually been changed.

EFF Requests Information from Innocent Megaupload Users

In the media firestorm surrounding the recent Megaupload takedown, there has been little lacking in the way of drama. But Megaupload, of course, had many lawful customers who were given no notice that they might lose access to their data and no clear path to getting their property back. Setting aside the legal case against Megaupload, the government should try to avoid this kind of collateral damage, not create it.

This Week in Censorship: Oman, South Korea, and China Crack Down on Dissent

An Omani blogger was arrested for posts criticizing the government, a South Korean citizen was arrested for Twitter posts about North Korea, and China cracked down on Tibetan blogs amid heightened tensions between Tibetans and the government.

Letters to the Copyright Office: Why I Jailbreak

EFF has asked the U.S. Copyright Office to declare that jailbreaking smartphones, tablets, and game consoles does not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and there are only two days left to submit comments to the Copyright Office, or to sign on to letters supporting our exemption requests. We've already heard from many device users who have spoken up to explain why installing the software they choose on the devices they own should stay legal.

PlayStation 3 "Other OS" Saga Shows: Jailbreaking Is Not a Crime

If you still aren't sure why jailbreaking is important, one prime example of the problem is the Sony PlayStation 3. That game system initially shipped with the ability to install Linux and other Unix derivatives, but in April 2010 Sony removed the feature and started suing security researchers publishing about it.

miniLinks

New surveillance industry database reveals who's browsing surveillance tech

In collaboration with the Wall Street Journal and the Guardian, Privacy International published a database of all attendees at six ISS World surveillance trade shows, held in Washington, D.C., Dubai and Prague between 2006 and 2009.

EDRI's ACTA fact sheet

In response to "many rumours and half-truths about ACTA being circulated by campaigners on all sides," our friends at EDRI put together a fact sheet focusing on the real problems and most important issues in ACTA.

FBI: Do you like online privacy? You may be a terrorist

A flyer designed by the FBI and the Department of Justice to promote suspicious activity reporting in Internet cafes lists the use of "anonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP address" as a sign that a person could be engaged in or supporting terrorist activity.

Administrivia

ISSN 1062-9424

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA
94110-1914
USA +1 415 436 9333
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
eff.org

Editor: Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: info@eff.org

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles individually, please contact the authors for their express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be reproduced individually at will.

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Announcements

ACT NOW: Rip. Mix. Make.

Kirby Ferguson, the filmmaker behind the "Everything is a Remix" series, has written a letter supporting EFF's DMCA exemption request for video production. Tell the Copyright Office you stand with Kirby and EFF by signing on to his letter.

ACT NOW: Jailbreaking is Not a Crime

bunnie Huang, author of Hacking the Xbox, is standing with EFF to defend users' right to jailbreak. Will you sign on to bunnie's letter to show the Copyright Office that users everywhere say that jailbreaking is not a crime?

100 Year Anniversary of San Diego Free Speech Fight

Rainey Reitman, EFF Activism Director, will be speaking at an event to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the San Diego Free Speech Fight. The event is hosted by the San Diego ACLU and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. There will be music, speakers, and spoken word performances.
February 8, 2012
San Diego, CA

Tools of Change: How the Internet Helped Shape the Arab Spring

Jillian C. York, EFF's Director for International Freedom of Expression, will discuss the powerful role and the drawbacks of social media tools in the Arab Spring, and will speak about their use in the Middle East and North Africa.
February 16, 2012
Stanford, CA

Humble Bundle for Android

The Humble Bundle is back for a limited time only! For this bundle, you can name your price and get four cross-platform and DRM-free games for Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux, and Android.

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