We want a future in which tech is #decentralized and impossible for governments to surveil or manipulate. We don’t all have to agree on crypto but we can agree that government mass surveillance is bad for us all.

This might look fine on the surface but what it really means is that the government is forcing software developers or builders exploring crypto to track and sell out their users’ data. This is unconstitutional and a downright violation of our right to #financialprivacy.

Compliance with this rule and its reporting requirements would be impossible for some of the people working with this tech. The definition is so broad that it would force developers working on decentralized tech projects to collect info they don't have and certainly don't need.

These new rules could require anyone deemed a broker to collect personal information about users of their crypto tools and report that information to the IRS in the name of reducing tax avoidance.

In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed despite tens of thousands of calls from the #DontKillCrypto army. Now, the IRS and Treasury are putting the government’s surveillance plan into motion.

The US Treasury and IRS are proposing new regulations that would mandate mass surveillance of digital assets. This would be a massive blow to our human rights. That’s why we’re calling for the government to #StopFinancialSurveillance https://www.stopfinancialsurveillance.org

Fight for the Future is calling on all companies with direct messaging platforms to immediately implement default end-to-end encryption for DMs and message back-ups, and on activists and organizations to join the campaign by signing on at https://MakeDMsSafe.com

Recently, mounting activist/expert pressure has been forcing companies to take decisive action on this issue: both Google and Discord made announcements this month about expanded end-to-end encryption testing and roll-out:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/8/23824800/google-messages-rcs-end-to-end-encryption-default-group

https://twitter.com/AlternativeTo/status/1691043492871495680?s=20

Now with the overturn of Roe, the private messages of anyone seeking, facilitating, or providing abortion care are also at risk of being used by law enforcement as tools of criminalization. The messages of one Nebraska teenager and her mom already have: https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/23790923/facebook-meta-woman-daughter-guilty-abortion-nebraska-messenger-encryption-privacy

Just the most recent examples of how DMs are used to target activists: The Colorado Springs police department forcing Meta to hand over the private Facebook messages of a housing justice advocate and of the Chinook Center, a small progressive Colorado Springs organization: https://www.cpr.org/2023/08/03/colorado-aclu-sues-colorado-springs-police-department-and-fbi-over-alleged-unlawful-privacy-invasions-of-local-activist/

This roll out couldn’t happen fast enough. Privacy experts have been pointing to importance of end-to-end encryption for years – for everyone online, but especially for vulnerable people historically targeted by surveillance, including activists, journalists, immigrants, and other racialized people https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/technology/end-to-end-encryption.html

In the letter, Meta lays out why the launch of end-to-end encryption on Messenger is taking time, why the company believes E2EE is so vital for user privacy, and why E2EE is also - in the company's view - the right business choice. https://messengernews.fb.com/2023/08/22/expanding-testing-for-end-to-end-encryption-on-messenger/

Breaking: #Meta has responded to the demands of the MakeDMsSafe.com campaign in a letter to Fight for the Future that reiterates the company's commitment to rolling out default end-to-end encryption for Facebook Messenger in 2023 https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/22/23841490/meta-facebook-messenger-instagram-encryption-default

We cannot rely on tech companies to protect us, esp when they see the 246100 potential of AI. What we need is strong federal data privacy legislation that will actually protect us from corporate surveillance & stop companies like Zoom from harvesting & abusing our data for profit.

Meanwhile Zoom is still offering AI features in Zoom IQ. Zoom says participants will be notified when AI is in use but that doesn’t actually mean they can consent to its use or opt out (esp if it is in use at school or work and there is no alternative) https://blog.zoom.us/zooms-term-service-ai/

Yes, Zoom listened this time and made changes but this should serve as a warning to other tech companies following this trend of misleading customers and trying to get away with stealing user data while hiding behind confusing policy updates

ICYMI: Following the backlash from ❤️Fight and other privacy experts, Zoom updated its terms of service AGAIN. This time to clarify that the company will not use any customer content to train Zoom’s or third-party AI https://therecord.media/zoom-ai-terms-of-service-update

STATEMENT: “The concerted efforts of Big Content to ensure the enshittification of public #libraries and shut down digital libraries like the #InternetArchive could not be clearer than they are with this new lawsuit from the world’s biggest record labels. #music #library #preservation #lawsuit #copyright #copyrighttroll https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2023-08-14-statement-major-record-labels-sue-to-destroy-internet-archives-70-120-year-old-music-archive

New Substack post: Cops is internet is cops https://fightforthefuture.substack.com/p/cops-is-internet-is-cops

Take action now to call on Zoom to protect users, revise the Terms of Service and publicly state that it will not use our data to train its AI. Sign the petition here:

https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/dear-zoom-dont-use-our-data-to-train-your-ai