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History of the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Posted by michael on from the ancient-history-in-net-years dept.

Well, no one submitted it (guess no one reads the LA Times), but from the Red Rock Eater list we have a link to Freedom Fighters of the Digital World, a laudatory history of the EFF. Read it, live it, remember it when you think "I can't make a difference".

3 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Opportunists by guttentag · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Says Brad Templeton, a 41-year-old Internet entrepreneur and the EFF's chairman: "I sit in fear of the next attack not only because of who it might hurt but because of where it will take this debate."

    The attacks themselves had limited effects on the economy and infrastructure of the U.S., but they empowered several monsters to wreak havoc. The consumer confidence boogey man came and went. And after the smoke cleared, Americans felt safer from physical danger because they thought they knew the score.

    "If I don't get on an airplane or work in a skyscraper, I'll be OK," they tell themselves. "If I don't open suspicious envelopes and if I don't question the Patriot act, I'll be OK."

    But the opportunists still run amok.

    opportunist
    An opportunist is one who tailors his or her beliefs or actions to circumstances in order to advance his or her interests, without regard to principle. ( The Washington Post Deskbook on Style )

    It is unfortunate that there are opportunists in Congress who present a greater "threat to freedom" than Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden presented them with the opportunity to seize power, and they grabbed it.

    The ACLU and EFF are the police and FBI that protect us from opportunists. Please familiarize yourself with their activities and support them.

  2. Access denied by Chelloveck · · Score: 4, Interesting

    http://www.eff.org/

    Error
    FW-1 at mxwzeb01f: Access denied.

    My company's proxy blocks access to the EFF web site. They also block access to the ACLU's site. I'm sure this says something. (Most likely that our IT department never bothered to change the default filter list from the vendor.)

    --
    Chelloveck
    I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
  3. Read it, lived it, and I did make a difference! by Seth+Finkelstein · · Score: 4, Interesting
    It's one of the high points of my life that The Electronic Frontier Foundation honored me with a 2001 Pioneer Award
    (even if my former colleague Michael Sims did later publicly proclaim he regretted nominating me, and my award probably didn't get any Slashdot coverage because of What Happened To The Censorware Project (censorware.org))

    It's possible to make a difference. Though it's a lot of work, sometimes a lot of risk, and it isn't easy. EFF has made a difference in my life, and in many other people's lives.