The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world.
Digital Privacy
EFF’s approach to privacy enables autonomy, anonymity, security, and the right to a life free from prying eyes. This allows for free association and expression, while also taking into account legitimate law enforcement concerns. National and local governments must put legal checks in place to prevent abuse of state powers, and international bodies should consider how a changing technological environment shapes security agencies’ best practices.
Security
Computer security—and the lack of it—is a fundamental issue that underpins much of how the internet does and doesn’t function. EFF works on a wide range of security issues, including standing up for encryption both in the U.S. and internationally, deploying cryptographic protocols, like HTTPS Everywhere and Certbot; offering legal assistance to researchers through our Coders’ Rights Project; delivering practical security advice to activists through the Surveillance Self-Defense project; directly auditing open source codebases; and working on the development of new security standards.
Transparency
EFF holds governments accountable to the public through federal and state freedom of information laws, the courtroom, and our megaphone. We showcase technologies and policies that help the transparency process, such as tools that make it easier to file and track public records requests, websites dedicated to whistleblowing, or open government initiatives to improve access to information.
Free Speech
EFF fights for free expression offered by new technology—overcoming the legal, structural, and corporate obstacles in the way of people around the world speaking their mind and accessing information and ideas. We should be able to use new technologies to publish our ideas; criticize those in power; gather and report the news; and make, adapt, and share creative works. This right is especially important for vulnerable communities, who must be able to safely meet, grow, and make themselves heard without being silenced or drowned out by the powerful.
Creativity and Innovation
EFF works to protect and strengthen fair use, innovation, open access, net neutrality, and your freedom to tinker. Our digital future depends on our ability to access, use, and build on both information and technology. We challenge patent and copyright trolls in public and in court; argue in Congress for more balanced copyright and patent laws; and urge governments, funders, and educational institutions to adopt open access policies so established players do not silence the next generation of creators.
