Tornado of bad internet bills could harm online LGBTQ+, abortion resources
There’s a slew of misguided internet bills making its way through Congress and state houses right now and they all have something in common: harming marginalized communities on the internet.
EARN IT and CSAM replicates issues that we’ve already seen from SESTA/FOSTA by targeting companies that provide end-to-end encryption services. KOSA claims to protect children, but would actually hand conservative lawmakers in states that are criminalizing abortion and gender affirming care even more power to police people, this time through online censorship. The RESTRICT Act gives any sitting president unprecedented power to limit free speech online. All of these, along with multiple bills fencing off the internet from young people and those who cannot provide ID or age verification, paint a dire picture for the future of the internet.
LGBTQ+ communities and abortion seekers are already under attack across the country. Weakening end-to-end encryption and risking already criminalized online LGBTQ+ resources is a mistake of the highest proportion.
KOSA pretends to be about protecting kids online, but it does the opposite. It will put everything from LGBTQ+ online health resources to fanfiction on the chopping block. It strips teenagers of their right to a democratic Internet and puts so many marginalized kids at risk. Dove claims that KOSA is about body positivity, but Lizzo’s own body positive and feminist content could be blocked by KOSA. She needs to withdraw support.
Please share + circulate!! We need to get loud, this will get harder to defeat as more celebrities and influencers get behind this harmful legislation.
Statement: Sen Wyden & Rep Eshoo’s letter on ebook terms for schools & libraries
The following statement on Sen Wyden and Rep Eshoo’s letter to Big 5 publishers on ebook terms for schools and libraries can be attributed to Lia Holland (she/they) Campaigns and Communications Director at Fight for the Future.
“We are thrilled to see legislators taking action for the public’s right to own and preserve all books, no matter what form they are published in. With so much of our lives happening online, the opportunity to own digital books is almost nonexistent—a stark and concerning departure from how our society interacts with paper books.
Through restrictive and expensive licensing schemes on ebooks and audiobooks, publishers are acting against the best interest of authors by reducing the number of titles that libraries and schools are allowed to offer and preserve. This often means that the most successful and mainstream books are the only ones purchased, locking many authors out of income from library purchases as well as away from the vast audiences of readers that public institutions serve. We hope that legislators will take swift action to ensure perpetual access to knowledge and diverse voices for everyone.
Even readers with vast personal collections of e- and audio- books should be alarmed, as most ebooks and audiobooks are also merely licensed to those who believe they are "buying” them, leaving the door open for publishers and big tech companies like Amazon to later erase books, as well as alter what they say, down the line.“
BREAKING: Apple wields monopoly power to remove democracy app in Russia
Today, the New York Times reported that Apple and Google removed an app from their Russian app stores under pressure from the Russian government.
This is our statement on the news, which can be attributed to Evan Greer (she/her), Director, Fight for the Future:
“Today’s news makes crystal clear: Apple’s restrictive and authoritarian app store policies are a human rights catastrophe. As long as Apple maintains a stranglehold over what software millions of people can and can’t run on devices that they own, the App Store will continue to be a convenient choke point for government censorship and crackdowns on dissent.
While Android users will be able to circumvent this ban through sideloading their phones, iPhone users have no such recourse. Apple’s authoritarian app store policies make it easy for autocratic regimes to pull the plug on democratic initiatives. And by maintaining its absolute control over the App Store, Apple willfully puts its employees in harm’s way in these countries so it can continue squeezing app developers and consumers while contributing nothing to user security or experience.
Apple’s top-down monopolistic approach is at the root of their harm. Part of the reason they’ve received such massive backlash for their misguided proposal to conduct on-device photo and message scanning is that their walled-garden model would make it impossible to avoid, even if users knew that the system had been co-opted by a government using it to look for, say, protest images, instead of CSAM. When the world learned that spyware firms had exploited a vulnerability in iMessage to hack the phones of dissidents, iPhone users couldn’t do anything other than wait for an update, because you can’t uninstall iMessage from your phone.
Make no mistake, we are only in the early days of authoritarian exploitation of technology to consolidate power and crush dissent. Autocratic regimes will continue testing the limits of what they can get away with and how they can make Big Tech complicit in fast tracking their agendas. The only way to put an end to this — and protect the Internet, democracy, and tech workers in the process — is to allow sideloading and app store alternatives on these devices. And if Apple refuses to do so, then it’s up to lawmakers to force them to.
The future of technology is at stake. We’re at a watershed moment: will the future of the Internet and technology be built on principles of openness, privacy, and human rights? Or will we end up in the future Apple has envisioned: heavily surveilled walled gardens where tyrants dictate what we can see and do with our own devices? The choice is up to us.“
Protesters with banners and signs are gathering outside Apple stores in major cities across the US, demanding the company commit to never implementing its misguided on-device photo and message scanning proposal
The night before Apple’s much-hyped iPhone 13 rollout tomorrow, the company is facing protests at its retail stores across the US. Organized by Fight for the Future, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a network of volunteers, the protests are demanding that Apple permanently shelve their dangerous proposal to install photo and message scanning malware on millions of people’s devices. The company already announced it was delaying the misguided proposal after widespread backlash from security experts and human rights experts. Protesters are calling on them to publicly commit to never implementing it.
Protests are organized in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland (OR), Minneapolis, Aventura, FL, Tucson, and Houston. While Apple may have recently announced it would postpone the rollout of its scanning software, technologists, human rights organizations, and Apple users are unwilling to let up until it is fully cancelled.
Groups say that if Apple moves forward with this plan, it will have massive consequences—not only on the phones of millions of people, but on everyones’ ability to communicate without being under constant surveillance. As a purported champion of privacy, Apple should use its position in the industry to protect more people, including children, by encrypting iCloud and addressing security vulnerabilities in iMessage.
“Apple can’t just shove this horrible phone scan plan to the side in order to avoid bad press during its Apple Event,” says Caitlin Seeley George (she/her), campaign director at Fight for the Future. “If Apple moves forward with installing this software it would be a total game changer—opening up the door to unprecedented surveillance and forcing the entire communications industry to follow suit. We can’t let this happen, which is why people are showing up to call out Apple’s hypocrisy and demand it put an end to this phone scan plan.”
“Let’s be perfectly clear: you can’t be a values-driven privacy-focused company and an aspiring monopoly with authoritarian policies at the same time,” added Fight for the Future director Evan Greer (she/her). “Apple’s proposal to forcibly install what amounts to malware on millions of people’s phones is just the latest misstep from a company that already has a dodgy track record when it comes to human rights. Apple’s glimmering reputation as the good guys of Silicon Valley is crumbling. If they truly care about the safety of our children, and ensuring they grow up in a future where basic rights are protected, Apple should be expanding and strengthening encryption on their devices, not undercutting it. Listen to security experts. Encrypt iCloud and fix the vulnerabilities in iMessage. Publicly commit to never implementing on-device content scanning.”
“Users want the devices they have purchased to work for them—not to spy on them for others,” said Joe Mullin, a policy analyst on EFF’s activism team. “Delaying the program is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. Apple needs to take the next step to protect its users and abandon the program.”
“Apple promises us privacy, but delivers surveillance,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “This software will almost certainly make mistakes, and when it does, the results could be deadly, particularly for LGBTQ+ youth. Apple’s software can be hijacked by authoritarian governments in the future to scan users’ devices, giving repressive regimes unprecedented powers to suppress dissent. The same tool that scans for photos today could easily scan for religious or political texts tomorrow.”
Fight for the Future statement on Apple vs Epic court decision
Today a Federal judge announced a decision in the high profile Apple vs Epic court case surrounding Apple’s restrictive app store practices.
Digital rights organization Fight for the Future, who are behind AbolishTheAppStore.org and NoSpyPhone.org, and who are planning protests at Apple stores in major cities this Monday on the eve of the iPhone 13 launch, issued the following statement, which can be attributed to the group’s Director, Evan Greer (she/her):
“Unfortunately, this court decision does nothing to address the real harm of Apple’s restrictive and monopolistic app store policies. As long as Apple maintains an authoritarian stranglehold over what software millions of people can and can’t run on their phones, the company will be actively helping repressive governments undermine human rights and censor apps used by journalists, dissidents, and vulnerable communities. The bottom line is that you can’t be a values-driven privacy company and an aspiring monopoly at the same time.
The scandal around Apple’s widely condemned proposal to conduct on-device photo and message scanning just underscores the harms of Apple’s monopoly. iPhone users can’t uninstall bundled software like iMessage even if they know it has serious security vulnerabilities. If Apple actually has any values, they should let users install and run whatever software they want on the devices they own, the same way they do on Mac laptops. If Apple chooses profit and control over user safety and security, and the courts won’t address the harms of Apple’s monopolistic practices, then lawmakers should.”
Fight for the Future and other organizations are planning protests at Apple stores in major cities this Monday, the night before the much hyped iPhone 13 #AppleEvent rollout, demanding that the company permanently shelve its misguided plan to conduct on-device photo and message scanning.
As Apple prepares for it’s annual #AppleEvent on September 14, people across the country are organizing protests outside Apple stores for September 13 to demand the company fully cancel its plan to instal client-side scanning software on millions of devices.
Led by Fight for the Future, and with the support of EFF, protesters will hold banners, signs, and display messages on their phones outside of Apple stores. They’ll also deliver thousands of petition signatures and give statements about why they oppose Apple’s plan.
WHAT: #nospyphone Protests WHEN: Monday, September 13, 6:00 pm local time WHERE: locations tracked at https://www.nospyphone.com/#map VISUALS: Groups outside Apple stores in NYC, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Portland, OR, and Washington D.C. with, signs and banners, presentation of petitions, interview protesters
Despite Apple’s recent announcement that it would postpone the rollout of its scanning software, organizers are still pushing the company to permanently shelve its misguided plan.
“Apple can’t just shove this horrible phone scan plan to the side in order to avoid bad press during its Apple Event,” says Caitlin Seeley George (she/her), campaign director at Fight for the Future. “If Apple moves forward with installing this software it would be a total game changer—opening up the door to unprecedented surveillance and forcing the entire communications industry to follow suit. We can’t let this happen, which is why people are showing up to call out Apple’s hypocrisy and demand it put an end to this phone scan plan.”
“Let’s be perfectly clear: you can’t be a values-driven privacy-focused company and an aspiring monopoly with authoritarian policies at the same time,” added Fight for the Future director Evan Greer (she/her). “Apple’s proposal to forcibly install what amounts to malware on millions of people’s phones is just the latest misstep from a company that already has a dodgy track record when it comes to human rights. Apple’s glimmering reputation as the good guys of Silicon Valley is crumbling. If they truly care about the safety of our children, and ensuring they grow up in a future where basic rights are protected, Apple should be expanding and strengthening encryption on their devices, not undercutting it. Listen to security experts. Encrypt iCloud and fix the vulnerabilities in iMessage. Publicly commit to never implementing on-device content scanning.”
Apple’s move has been roundly condemned by security experts, developers, and civil rights groups.
In response to Apple’s plan to add surveillance features that will scan photos and messages, a group of civil and human rights organizations delivered petitions with more than 59,796 signatures to the company today.
The petitions call on Apple to abandon its plan, which goes against the company’s purported commitment to privacy and security, and its history of rejecting backdoors to access content on our phones. Despite Apple’s announcement to postpone its rollout of the scanning features, civil rights organizations say they will continue to oppose the company’s plan until they fully abandon it, because there is no safe way to conduct on-device content scanning.
The groups that circulated the petitions for today’s delivery—Fight for the Future, EFF, OpenMedia, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), Restore the Fourth, and Daily Kos Liberation League—as well as internationally renowned security technologist Bruce Schneier, highlighted how this would be a precedent-setting move, and say that once Apple opens the (back)door to this level of on-device surveillance, other tech companies may be forced to follow.
“There is no safe way to do what Apple is proposing. Creating more vulnerabilities on our devices will never make any of us safer,” said Caitlin Seeley George (she/her), campaign director at Fight for the Future. “Apple is able to propose this kind of surveillance because of its monopoly power and the stranglehold it has on the industry and our devices. But instead of undercutting encryption on devices, Apple should be strengthening it by fully encrypting iCloud and fixing the security issues with iMessage. This is how Apple should use its power to actually do something good for the industry and the world.”
Matt Hatfield, campaigns director at OpenMedia, added “Apple’s decision to embed image surveillance on our phones and iOS devices crosses a dangerous boundary that governments and bad actors will be quick to take advantage of. Any backdoor to our private data will face enormous pressure to be used for purposes besides those Apple intends. If they go through with this, the question is not if it will be misused, but when.”
“Apple’s device scanning isn’t a slippery slope; it’s a complete surveillance system waiting for government pressure to expand it,” said Joe Mullin, policy analyst at Electronic Frontier Foundation. “People, including minors, have the right to communicate privately without backdoors or censorship.”
Alex Marthews from Restore The Fourth, adds that “Opening the client side to surveillance for one purpose, opens it for all purposes. Governments cannot be trusted not to use this backdoor to broadly suppress categories of content they deem harmful.”
Today’s petition delivery will be followed by a day of protests at Apple stores across the country on Monday, September 13 (the day before the Apple Event). These events will further highlight the demand for Apple to fully abandon its plan to scan our devices.
BREAKING: Apple delays launch of dangerous #spyPhone on-device scanning plan. Now it must abandon it completely.
Today, facing massive backlash Apple announced that it would delay the release of its plan to enable on-device photo and message scanning on millions of people’s devices, as part of a misguided effort to address CSAM. Apple’s “spyPhone” proposal has been roundly condemned by security experts, human rights groups, LGBTQ+ organizations, and civil rights leaders.
This is our statement on the announcement, which can be attributed to Evan Greer (she/her), Director, Fight for the Future:
“Apple’s plan to conduct on-device scanning of photos and messages is one of the most dangerous proposals from any tech company in modern history. Technologically, this is the equivalent of installing malware on millions of people’s devices –– malware that can be easily abused to do enormous harm. Authoritarian governments already lean on Apple to censor and spy on their residents to squash dissent. This technology would make such surveillance essentially unavoidable on Apple products, and potentially every product if the industry were to follow Apple’s lead.
There is no overstating the threat that Apple’s proposal poses to privacy, security, democracy, and freedom. It would open the door to a future without human rights, privacy, or basic freedom –– a world where we can’t trust the devices that we use to communicate –– a world that’s not safer for children or anyone else. That’s why there has been overwhelming backlash to this proposal from security experts, civil liberties advocates, racial justice groups, and international human rights experts.
It’s encouraging that the backlash has forced Apple to delay this reckless and dangerous surveillance plan, but the reality is that there is no safe way to do what they are proposing. Apple’s current proposal will make vulnerable children less safe, not more safe. They should shelve it permanently. Instead of undercutting encryption, they should be expanding it to protect more people, including children, by encrypting iCloud and addressing security vulnerabilities in iMessage.
"Apple would never have had the power to do this in the first place without their historically unprecedented control over the software users run on their own devices. We continue to believe that this is the root cause of the Apple problem, and must be addressed by forcing Apple to allow users to choose how their devices operate by choosing what software they run, including at the OS level. You can’t be a privacy company and a monopoly. Period.”
Photo + Video: Macy’s back-to-school facial recognition action in DC
For immediate release: Monday, August 22, 2021 Press contact: press@fightforthefuture.org
Over the weekend, activists called out Macy’s for harvesting biometric data from children shopping before the school year begins. The action took place at the G Street Macy’s in Washington, DC and featured a mobile billboard calling on Macy’s to end its “creepy” facial recognition program and stop surveilling kids.
According to the scorecard at BanFacialRecognition.com/stores, Macy’s is the only major retailer that has confirmed and doubled down on its use of facial recognition, even as legislators move to limit or ban this invasive technology. Other back-to-school mainstays such as Target, Kroger, Costco, Gap, Burlington, and Staples have all indicated that they will not use facial recognition in their stores.
“Macy’s is flat-out on the wrong side of human rights when they use invasive surveillance technology to harvest sensitive biometric data on customers and their kids,” said Lia Holland (she/they), Campaigns & Communications Director at Fight for the Future, the digital rights group that organized the action. “Facial recognition is an experimental technology that is proven to disproportionately misidentify anyone who isn’t a white adult man and put them in harm’s way. We also don’t know whether Macy’s is selling the databases they collect on adults and kids—if a second grade back-to-school shopper has a meltdown in Macy’s, will that data be sold off and impact their school admissions or what jobs they’re hired for down the road? Will videos bbe handed over to police who might mark these kids as “risky”? No one, least of all children, can meaningfully consent to the ways this data might be exploited and abused.”
See the full list of retailers and whether or not they use facial recognition in their stores here.
The full list of organizations signed on to the Ban Facial Recognition in Stores campaign are: 18 Million Rising, Access Now, Action Center on Race and the Economy, Consumer Federation of America, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Data for Black Lives, Demand Progress, Encode Justice, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Fairplay, Fight for the Future, Free Press, Jewish Voice for Peace, Jobs with Justice, Just Futures Law, Kairos Action, Lucy Parsons Labs, Mijente, Muslim Justice League, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Immigration Law Center, National Lawyers Guild, Oakland Privacy, Open Media, PDX Privacy, Popular Resistance, Presente.org, Public Citizen, Raices Texas, Restore the Fourth, Roots Action, Secure Justice, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), The Tor Project, United for Respect, X-Lab.
