
Launching the Electronic Frontier Alliance - Garbage
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/03/launching-efa
======
callcallcall
Here's some other ways to support:

To donate:
[https://supporters.eff.org/donate/button](https://supporters.eff.org/donate/button)

To Learn:
[https://www.youtube.com/user/EFForg](https://www.youtube.com/user/EFForg)

To call your representatives: [http://TryVoices.com](http://TryVoices.com)

~~~
nabla9
"There is no reason why digital rights cannot triumph as often as gun rights.
The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things
as digital rights activists, I hope that they are organized along the lines of
the NRA." – Kurt Vonnegut, mutatis mutandis

~~~
tdaltonc
Do they grade all congress persons and their opponents?

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mehrzad
I wish the EFF would explain more clearly why digital rights for users are
important. Technology in the hands of the few and powerful can lead to
authoritarianism, which is part of what makes their work so important. Right
now their site only explains that digital rights promote human freedoms. Maybe
they don't want to sound too "radical," but for people looking to donate,
shouldn't they explain why better privacy, free expression, and digital rights
laws are valuable? Love their work though!

~~~
tryitnow
I agree. And I think your point touches on one of the problems I have with
EFF. I think they're too adverse to upsetting right leaning libertarians by
sounding "radical."

But the problem with that is you kind of have to sound radical to explain to
people why digital rights are important.

Frankly, it's marginalized groups that have the most to fear. Groups that by
nature are unpopular. But once you're positioned as defending unpopular groups
well then, that may make your more conservative donors uneasy...

Honestly, I just personally don't have a lot to fear from state and corporate
power. But the Muslims who live across the street? Or the queer couple on the
next block? Yes, those folks have some very legitimate reasons to fear
surveillancs.

I guess I could sum up my problem with EFF by saying that they look and act
like people like me. Indeed my social circles intersect with quite a few EFF
employees.

But people like me really aren't the first targets of authoritarians, so it's
going to be hard to get beyond an abstract, theoretical fear of privacy
violations.

~~~
icebraining
I don't actually agree; looking at the recent history, and even current
events, the intelligentsia and non-aligned influential people have always been
targeted. Their position might grant them more "deference", but on the other
hand, they are also more likely to have surveillance used to discredit them.

You even have a recent case of a Ron Paul-admiring right-wing libertarian
being convicted of "domestic terrorism by trying to devalue the currency":
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_von_NotHaus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_von_NotHaus)

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jph
I donate to EFF because of the many good projects that help all of us on the
net.

To donate now:
[https://supporters.eff.org/donate/button](https://supporters.eff.org/donate/button)

~~~
_asummers
Additionally, if you're an Amazon user, Amazon Smile allows you to choose the
EFF to donate to. There are Firefox/Chrome plugins that redirect normal
amazon.com links to smile.amazon.com links so you don't forget.

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zmanian
In 2013, the initial Snowden documents instantly clarified for me that mass
surveillance was the most pressing threat to democracy.

I've been working loosely with EFF and ACLU on Surveillance issues for nearly
three years.

The process of transitioning from passive interest to part time activism
wasn't easy as no on ramps really existed. I had to build them myself.

I'm hoping EFA will become one of those on ramps.

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nickpsecurity
I like this project. It comes from a good organization fighting for democracy.
It will create more interest and activity. The tie-in to political groups that
create more fighting than action has me a bit uncomfortable. I like that they
start with principles all _should_ have in common. It's very important to come
up with clear, basic principles all groups can fight together over against
corrupt government. Further, we'll all need to remind them of that as little
scuffles break out.

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matt_wulfeck
Supporter of EFF here. Just call me skeptical when I read lines like this:

> Bringing together community and campus ... will serve as an increasingly
> vital hub for activism and organizing

> free expression: people should be able to speak their minds to whomever will
> listen.

In my experience these types of organizations are not very interested in
discussing topics or ideas that might make them feel uncomfortable. See
college safe environments as an example.

Why even make this a priority if you don't really mean it?

~~~
mwfunk
If you try to engage with people, you might engage with people or you might
not. There's no guarantee that anything will come of it. If you don't try to
engage with people, there is absolutely a guarantee that nothing will come of
it.

In my experience if you spend your time trying to find choirs to preach to,
you're wasting your time even when you succeed. Staying away from groups of
people because some of them might disagree with you is counterproductive to
all participants.

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riffraff
I do not understand, what would the concrete effects of the EFA existence (or
participation of a given movent to it) be?

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sigmar
Is there anywhere that an individual could get more involved with these five
principles and the EFF? Maybe like a slack group to discuss and promote
encryption and privacy?

~~~
iza
[https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy](https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy) might be
worth a look

~~~
Caprinicus
The people in that subreddit didn't understand how things like encryption and
TOR worked last time I was there.

~~~
dublinben
Perhaps you could grace them with some of your superior knowledge.

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naringas
>across the U.S.

 _moves along_

