Beryl

With companies in cahoots with the government to track, profile, and network map everyone (yes, each one of you), what's the worst that could happen? 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you're a grassroots group fighting for privacy and civil liberties in the digital space or calling for protections against government surveillance in our public ones, consider joining the EFA.

NEWS: This morning our members unanimously ratified a new two-year contract, our first since 2019. It comes after more than two years of negotiations with @nyguild and a 19-day strike in April, the first in our history. ✊✊✊

Cell-site simulators are fishing with a net: people in the vicinity are caught in their widespread data collection, even those who have not been involved with a crime. eff.org/deeplinks/2024…

Thanks to new records spotted by @BINJ, we now know more about the current generation of cell-site simulators being used by law enforcement. eff.org/deeplinks/2024…

UPDATE: The Senate has scheduled a full floor vote for Monday, 5/13. That means this is our LAST CHANCE to save #OPRA.

NJ politicians want extensive rollbacks of the state's public records law, #OPRA. These include obstacles to recouping legal costs for requesters forced to take noncompliant agencies to court. They also want text messages and emails to be less accessible. northjersey.com/story/opinion/…

(3/3) I’ve spent the past two years of my life interning with Gannett and learning from these journalists. Without them, I would not be the person I am today. Their work is vital to this community and their voices matter. #unionstrong @rocnewsguild

WE DESERVE A #FAIRCONTRACTNOW Tomorrow at NOON we will be picketing downtown. Join us. Meet us. Make some noise. Spread the noise. ✊✊✊✊✊

Please show up tonight for my stellar colleagues from the @DandC. Strong local journalism is essential to strong communities. SHAME ON 👎 @Gannett 👎 for extreme dawdling and disrespectful dealings with @rocnewsguild, an affront to the Rochester community and local news.

@MikeThorn44 Yes, those "in power" have used what they can, including secrecy, to maintain and expand that power. I look forward to more individuals owning their entitlement to a common good. I wouldn't suggest they relinquish what few tools they have in that pursuit.

@_blip_ Yes. Transparency overwhelmingly benefits the power.

A very happy #SunshineWeek to everyone, especially this year's Foilies winners! May they each celebrate by reflecting on the ways they've failed to perform their civic duties and by resolving to be better tomorrow.

@MikeThorn44 Hi, Mike. Could please clarify this response? It seems to suggest that the principle of transparency is a scheme of the rich. The link leads to material on legislative "transparency" for lobbyists. Common and selfish interests often impact important tools. Is this what you mean?

@_blip_ Transparency: funded and endorsed by billionaires for billionaires. congressionalresearch.org/Citations.html #SunshineWeek

Accidents happen, and when the police are involved, civilians can be left to handle the costs and consequences on their own. This is great reporting and an awesome initiative from @DRobinsonLoHud, @DandC, and the team from @USATODAYNETWORK New York and @NewhouseSU.

Residents must understand "this is not simply a registry of cameras for law enforcement reference but an extensive system of data collection that requires clear policies & processes for use, data retention, & audits,” EFF’s @_blip_ told @404mediaco. 404media.co/fusus-ai-camer…

Have you had a ridiculous interaction with a FOIA office this year? Consider submitting it to The Foilies, and it could be recognized nationally for its absurdity. muckrock.com/news/archives/…

Arkansas lawmakers want to rush out changes to the state’s FOIA law that erode transparency without public review. The public’s right to know demands more. Arkansas should reject amendments to the state public records law. eff.org/deeplinks/2023…

Through public records requests, EFF found that the police agencies shared license plate data with out-of-state agencies — sensitive information about where people live, work or seek reproductive health services and other medical care. sacbee.com/news/politics-…

EFF has mapped 290+ surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border, providing journalists, researchers and the public with crucial data for evaluating border security policy. eff.org/deeplinks/2023…