10.07.19

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EFF Ought to Focus on Software Patents — Maybe EPO Scandals Too — Instead of Awarding (Publicity Stunts) and Rewarding Privacy Abusers

Posted in EFF, Law, Microsoft, Patents at 1:52 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

EFF on patents

Summary: Taking money from and giving awards to privacy-abusing corporations won’t help the EFF, at least not in the long term

THIS quick post concerns a matter that we mentioned last night, albeit only in passing. The EFF is changing and in our view not for the better. It does not write about patents as much as it used to. That’s 21 articles/posts so far this year (a lot less in recent months because Nazer left) compared to about 50 last year. What’s more, they’re losing sight of key issues and they still ignore EPO abuses (while having seemingly endless resources to tackle copyright policy in Europe). What is going on? Months ago they took Google money and people have used that to accuse the EFF of fronting for Google, in essence a surveillance company. Weeks ago the EFF (over)saw an award given to a person complicit in mass surveillance of Microsoft. Again, what the heck is going on? And check who the sponsors were: “Special thanks to our sponsors: Airbnb; Dropbox; Matthew Prince; Medium; O’Reilly Media; Ridder, Costa & Johnstone LLP; and Ron Reed for supporting EFF and the 2019 Pioneer Award Ceremony. If you or your company are interested in learning more about sponsorship, please contact nicole@eff.org.”

“Weeks ago the EFF (over)saw an award given to a person complicit in mass surveillance of Microsoft.”¿Qué?

Can’t the EFF sponsor (fund) its own ceremonies? Please don’t become another Linux Foundation.

What do Airbnb and Dropbox do there? They’re listed as forefront sponsors (the list is not alphabetical). The EFF surely knows about the surveillance (NSA PRISM), which was mentioned many times by the EFF itself in the wake of Snowden leaks. Dropbox is “coming soon” (in 2013) to PRISM and Airbnb is a privacy dump.

“Condy Rice on the Board and NSA PRISM don’t seem to prevent the EFF from taking money from Dropbox to glorify privacy abusers from Microsoft.”In our view, what EFF does here is what Lessig likes to call “leaning to the green” (money). Condy Rice on the Board and NSA PRISM don’t seem to prevent the EFF from taking money from Dropbox to glorify privacy abusers from Microsoft. Will the EFF take the risk of condemning Dropbox for privacy abuses in the future? Maybe. People might always wonder.

What would Barlow (founder) have said? He died last year and it would be a shame if the EFF’s credibility died with him. █

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