kurt opsahl

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Court fight ahead over VoIP wiretap ruling

Companies offering voice services over the Internet are likely to fight the FCC’s recent ruling that VoIP services are subject to wiretaps PDF, just like traditional phone providers. Kurt Opsahl, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told TopTechNews, "It's likely, because it really stretches the [Communications Assistance for...

Tags: Internet, CALEA, Kurt Opsahl, FCC

Blog posts 2005-08-11

Additional Resources

MIT students fight for right to expose security gaps in Boston subway

The talk by three MIT students was to be titled "The Anatomy of a Subway Hack: Breaking Crypto RFIDs & Magstripes of Ticketing Systems." It was to be delivered Sunday at Defcon. Then the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority sued for an injunction to stop the speech and a U.S. District...

Tags: electronic frontier foundation, massachusetts institute of technology, productivity, security, richard koman

Blog posts 2008-08-09

Judge: Viacom gets 12TB of YouTube user data

A federal judge ordered PDF Google to hand over 12 terabytes of YouTube user data to Viacom, finding that the list of "login IDs" does not qualify as personally identifying information. In opposing Viacom's request for the information, Google had asserted users' privacy rights: "Plaintiffs would...

Tags: Google Inc., Personally Identifiable Information, YouTube Inc., IP, IP Address, User Data, Video, Viacom Inc., Corporate Communications, Marketing, Richard Koman

Blog posts 2008-07-03

Brewster Kahle offers a cookbook for fighting security letters

Just talked to Brewster Kahle at the Internet Archive about their successful settlement with the FBI of a lawsuit over a National Security Letter. The FBI had demanded personal information on a user; the Archive replied with a lawsuit challenging the propriety of the NSL. As part of the settlement,...

Tags: Security, Electronic Frontier Foundation, FBI, Library, Brewster Kahle, Cookbook, National Security Letter, Federal Government, Government, Richard Koman

Blog posts 2008-05-08

Verizon says it complies with warrantless requests

Verizon complied with warrantless demands for customer calling records hundreds of times since 2005, The Washington Post reports. In a letter to Democratic congressmen, Verizon also said that it had complied with FBI national security letters requesting information on a second-degree of customers, those who were not...

Tags: Verizon Communications Inc., Letter, Federal Government, Telecom & Utilities, Telecommunications, Government, ZDNet Government

Blog posts 2007-10-16

FBI further abused security letters by requesting 'communities of interest'

The Electronic Frontier Foundation reveals that FBI abuses of "exigent circumstances" letters not only illegally sought information on individual customers but also were used to obtain information on people they frequently called. A Freedom of Information Act request from EFF uncovered the new revelations, staff lawyer Kurt Opsahl...

Tags: Security, Electronic Frontier Foundation, FBI, Letter, U.S. Department Of Justice, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, ZDNet Government

Blog posts 2007-09-13

Digg and cracking HD-DVD: Reimerdes comes to social news

Techmeme is all a-flutter, and my ZDNet colleagues have been right on top of the Digg/HD-DVD crack story. Heres my quick take on things, as I run off to OnHollywood where Kevin Rose spoke this morning:Nothing says Digg has to respond to a mere demand letter under any circumstances....

Tags: Voice, User generated content, Social news, Social networking, Lawsuits, DRM, DMCA, Blogging

Blog posts 2007-05-02

Law students find their reputations maligned online

Somewhere between free-speech and privacy lies the nether world of online reputation bashing. The Washington Post reports that some online message boards have become rife with offensive content and personal attacks that can ruin reputations and be accessible forever through an Internet search. Take the bulletin board site ...

Tags: SEARCH, AutoAdmit, Cohen, Internet

Blog posts 2007-03-08

Case against AT&T/NSA continues

A federal judge ruled that a class action lawsuit against AT&T over its participation in NSA spying can go forward, rejecting requests by the government and AT&T to freeze proceedings during an appeal, the Electronic Frontier Foundation says. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker allowed EFF to ask...

Tags: Government technology

Blog posts 2007-02-21

Apple pays 'Asteroid' legal fees; a timeline

A Santa Clara County Court ordered Apple, Inc. to pay the Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF over US$700,000 in legal fees associated with the defense of three popular Mac-oriented Web sites PowerPage and Apple Insider in response to reports published about an unreleased Firewire breakout box for GarageBand, code-named "Asteroid."MacNN covered...

Tags: Legal, Apple Computer Inc., Electronic Frontier Foundation

Blog posts 2007-01-30

Not thy commenter's keeper

Based on the reactions of many of those who attended oral argument before the California Supreme Court in Barrett v. Rosenthal, indications are strong that the Court will come down on the side of protecting those who provide a platform for, but do not author or edit, third party comments...

Tags: Section 230

Blog posts 2006-09-09

EFF stands up for online journalists' rights in Apple v. Does

The Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF told a San Jose, California appeals court Thursday that denying protections for confidential sources would deliver a dangerous blow to online journalism and independent media.Apple Computer is suing several unnamed individuals, called "Does," who allegedly leaked information about an upcoming product to online news sites...

Tags: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Blog posts 2006-04-21

Apple in court to find snitch

California Appeals Court hears both sidesOn one hand Apple says it's protecting trade secrets. On the other hand Powerpage.org argues freedom of the press. Apple would not comment outside court. CNET News.com's Declan McCullagh interviews EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl.

Tags: Apple Computer Inc.

Videos 2006-04-21

Apple Computer's assault on the practice of journalism...

I am a huge fan of Steve Jobs, Apple Computer's CEO. I wasn't much of a fan when he was Apple's self-styled visionary in the early 1980s, but since then he has proved himself many times over. Next Computer, Mr Jobs' venture after he left, and then returned as Apple's...

Tags: Mr Jobs, Apple Computer Inc.

Blog posts 2006-04-20

NJ bills would require user logging

Two Assembly bills are moving through the New Jersey legislature that would require Internet service providers to record users' identities and reveal them in any claim of defamation, reports the Electronic Frontier Foundation website. In a nutshell, assembly bills A1327 and A2623 would require Internet service providers to record users'...

Tags: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Blog posts 2006-03-30

EFF: 'Annoy' law could damage right to anonymity

If the new "annoy" provision of the Telecommunication Act goes unchallenged, says EFF attorney Kurt Opsahl, it opens very substantial restrictions on Internet users' First Amendment rights. (Note that the law excludes "Internet computer services,"so the concern is chiefly with VoIP services. The law makes illegal anonymous communications ...

Tags: INTERNET, Telephony, VOIP, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, subpoena, Electronic Frontier Foundation

Blog posts 2006-01-16