Elliot Harmon
EFF
San Francisco, CA, United States
Contact Elliot
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Elliot:
How We Saved .ORG: 2020 in Review
If you come at the nonprofit sector, you’d best not miss.Nonprofits and NGOs around the world were stunned last November when the Internet Society (ISOC) announced that it had agreed to sell the Public Interest Registry—the organization that manages the .ORG top-level domain (TLD)—to private equity... → Read More
It’s Not Section 230 President Trump Hates, It’s the First Amendment
President Trump’s recent threat to “unequivocally VETO” the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) if it doesn’t include a repeal of Section 230 may represent the final attack on online free speech of his presidency, but it’s certainly not the first. The NDAA is one of the “must-pass” bills that... → Read More
Let’s Stand Up for Home Hacking and Repair
Let’s tell the Copyright Office that it’s not a crime to modify or repair your own devices.Every three years, the Copyright Office holds a rulemaking process where it grants the public permission to bypass digital locks for lawful purposes. In 2018, the Office expanded existing protections for... → Read More
GitHub Reinstates youtube-dl After RIAA’s Abuse of the DMCA
GitHub recently reinstated the repository for youtube-dl, a popular free software tool for downloading videos from YouTube and other user-uploaded video platforms. GitHub had taken down the repository last month after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) abused the Digital... → Read More
Don’t Blame Section 230 for Big Tech’s Failures. Blame Big Tech.
Next time you hear someone blame Section 230 for a problem with social media platforms, ask yourself two questions: first, was this problem actually caused by Section 230? Second, would weakening Section 230 solve the problem? Politicians and commentators on both sides of the aisle frequently blame... → Read More
Congress Fails to Ask Tech CEOs the Hard Questions
The Big Internet Companies Are Too Powerful, But Undermining Section 230 Won’t HelpThe Senate Commerce Committee met this week to question the heads of Facebook, Twitter, and Google about Section 230, the most important law protecting free speech online. Section 230 reflects the common-sense... → Read More
Open Access Must Be the Rule, Not the Exception
Not Just for COVID-19, But for the Next Crisis TooThe COVID-19 pandemic demands that governments, scientific researchers, and industry work together to bring life-saving technology to the public regardless of who can afford it. But even as we take steps to make medical technology and treatments... → Read More
The Online Content Policy Modernization Act Is an Unconstitutional Mess
EFF is standing with a huge coalition of organizations to urge Congress to oppose the Online Content Policy Modernization Act (OCPMA, S. 4632). Introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the OCPMA is yet another of this year’s flood of misguided attacks on Internet speech (read bill ). The bill... → Read More
How Patent Abuse Could Hurt the Fight Against the Pandemic
The government must stop patent abuse against health care companies, providers, and researchers working to provide tests and treatment to the public. → Read More
Open Innovation in Medical Technology Will Save Lives
Experts from the world’s top engineering programs have come together to share knowledge about medical technology, hoping to make life-saving treatments more widely available. Importantly, they’re ensuring that patents, copyrights, and other legal restrictions don’t get between that knowledge and... → Read More
The Feds Can Stop Patent Trolls from Endangering COVID-19 Testing and Treatment
It’s unthinkable that bad actors could take advantage of patent law and keep the public from getting access to COVID-19 tests and treatment, but they can and will—it already happened this month. Fortunately, an often-overlooked section of U.S. patent law allows the government to do something about... → Read More
The Graham-Blumenthal Bill Is an Attack on Online Speech and Security
Members of Congress have mounted a major threat to your freedom of speech and privacy online. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently introduced a bill that would undermine key protections for Internet speech in U.S. law. It would also expose providers of the private... → Read More
Congress Must Stop the Graham-Blumenthal Anti-Security Bill
There’s a new and serious threat to both free speech and security online. Under a draft bill that Bloomberg recently leaked, the Attorney General could unilaterally dictate how online platforms and services must operate. If those companies don’t follow the Attorney General’s rules, they could be on... → Read More
Protecting the Legal Foundation of the Internet: 2019 in Review
When someone says something unlawful online, they should be the one held responsible for it, not the website or platform where they said it. Section 230—the most important law protecting free speech online—reflects that common-sense principle. This year, EFF defended Section 230 in Congress, the... → Read More
Global NGO Community Demands a Stop to the Sale of .ORG
Over 500 organizations and 18,000 individuals have signed a letter urging the Internet Society to stop the private equity takeover of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the organization that manages the .ORG top-level domain. It’s rare that EFF, Greenpeace, Consumer Reports, Oxfam, the YMCA of the... → Read More
Nonprofit Community Stands Together to Protect .ORG
EFF and 26 other organizations just sent a letter to the Internet Society (ISOC) urging it to stop the sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR)—the organization that manages the .ORG top-level domain—to private equity firm Ethos Capital. Our message is clear: .ORG is extremely important to the... → Read More
Inventergy Backs Away from Nuisance Lawsuit over GPS Patent
EasyTracGPS is a family-owned business that provides GPS tracking solutions to commercial shipping fleets. Recently, EasyTracGPS faced a litigation threat from Inventergy LBS, LLC, which accused it of infringing U.S. Patent No. 8,760,286. That patent supposedly claims a “ystem and method for... → Read More
What if "Sesame Street" Were Open Access?
The news of iconic children’s television show “Sesame Street”’s new arrangement with the HBO MAX streaming service has sent ripples around the Internet. Starting this year, episodes of “Sesame Street” will debut on HBO and on the HBO MAX service, with new episodes being made available to PBS “at... → Read More
EFF Urges Congress Not to Dismantle Section 230
The Keys to a Healthy Internet Are User Empowerment and Competition, Not CensorshipThe House Energy and Commerce Committee held a legislative hearing today over what to do with one of the most important Internet laws, Section 230. Members of Congress and the testifying panelists discussed many of... → Read More
Changing Section 230 Would Strengthen the Biggest Tech Companies
Holding internet platforms liable for certain content would harm internet users. → Read More