hey guys, I get this newsletter and this particular issue is sounding an alarm. Sounds to me like some of us need to be hitting up our congress critters on this.
-eric of the Tecnomage Guild. Begin forwarded message: > From: "Free Software Foundation" <[email protected]> > Subject: Protect your privacy: Resist mass cracking by US law enforcement > Date: July 5, 2016 4:06:42 PM MST > To: <[email protected]> > Reply-To: "Free Software Foundation" <[email protected]> > > > Read online: > https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/protect-your-privacy-resist-mass-cracking-by-us-law-enforcement > > > Dear Free Software Supporter, > > In April 2016, the US Supreme Court approved amendments to Rule 41 of the > Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (FRCrmP) that will threaten the privacy > of Internet users worldwide. The changes will go into effect December 1, > 2016, unless a bipartisan bill called the Stopping Mass Hacking Act* is > approved. You can help stop this unprecedented and dangerous expansion of > government cracking authority. > > * "Hacking" is often misused to identify those who break computer security - > we call them crackers.* > > In 2014, the Judicial Conference of the United States, which frames policy > guidelines for courts in the US, proposed changes to Rule 41 of the FRCrmP > that give federal magistrate judges the authority to issue warrants for > cracking and surveillance in cases where the targeted computer's location is > unknown. That means law enforcement could request warrants allowing mass > cracking of thousands of computers at once. The Supreme Court, which oversees > the Rules, submitted the changes to the US Congress in April. This is an > unprecedented, broad government cracking authorization, and it is dangerous > to the privacy and security of all Internet users. > > The FSF opposes these changes and — in spite of its misleading use of the > word "hacking" — supports the Stopping Mass Hacking Act (S. 2952, H.R. 5321), > bipartisan legislation that would block the changes. The two bills are > currently under review by the Judiciary Committees of the US Senate and > House. Take action: Free software activists around the world can tell the US > Congress to pass the Stopping Mass Hacking Act by using the EFF's No Global > Warrants tool or by looking up your representatives if you're in the US. Not > in the US? Raise your concerns with your government representative. > > The changes to Rule 41 must not be allowed to go in to effect. They have the > potential to touch every Internet user, allowing federal judges to authorize > warrants that: > > aren't limited by location, so law enforcement could crack any computer in > the world if they wish; > > implicate any computer whose location is "concealed through technological > means," like using Tor or a VPN; > > target computers that have been "damaged without authorization," including > those infected with a virus or other damaging code; > > and infiltrate computers that may be part of a botnet, further victimizing > computer users whose computers have already been accessed with malicious > intent. > > Much like in our fight against bulk surveillance by government programs, > including PRISM, we urge you to resist mass cracking by US law enforcement > authorities, who should not sacrifice the privacy of all Internet users in an > attempt to catch criminals. > > This is a free software issue: the FSF aims to defend the rights of all > software users, in part by promoting and supporting free software-licensed > privacy tools like GnuPG for email encryption and decentralized Web > applications that emphasize user control and privacy. The changes to Rule 41 > target Internet users who take steps to protect their online privacy — this > could discourage use of privacy tools, and even weaken their effectiveness by > exploiting vulnerabilities in such tools rather than helping to fix them. > Also, these new powers could be used to target people doing things we defend > as moral even though they are currently illegal, such as sharing > anti-circumvention technology to break Digital Restrictions Management > schemes. > > Stop the Rule 41 changes from threatening Internet users: contact US Congress > and use privacy and decentralization tools. You can also read EFF's letter to > Congress, endorsed by a coalition of concerned digital rights organizations > and tech companies, as well as the Center for Democracy & Technology's > written statement on the issue. > > Happy hacking, > > Georgia Young > Program Manager > > Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an > associate member > Sent from the Free Software Foundation, > 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor > Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 > UNITED STATES > Unsubscribe from this mailing list. > Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by > Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter.
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