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🏃 Fitness Tracker Privacy Fails | EFFector 38.14

29 July 2026 at 18:52

Watches, bands, and rings—if you want to digitally monitor your fitness, more companies than ever are selling devices to do it. And more Americans than ever now own at least one wearable health device. But what are the companies that make fitness trackers doing to protect our sensitive data from prying eyes? A lot less than they could be, it turns out. We're explaining what companies can do to protect your health data, and more, with our EFFector newsletter

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For over 35 years, EFFector has been your guide to understanding the intersection of technology, civil liberties, and the law. This issue covers the rapid rise of police drone programs, a disappointing ruling on electronic device searches at the U.S. border, and how fitness trackers are falling down when it comes to protecting our health data.

Prefer to listen in? EFFector is now available on all major podcast platforms. This time, we're chatting with EFF Senior Security and Privacy Activist Thorin Klosowski about the health fitness tracker landscape and your privacy. You can find the episode and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice:

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Want to protect your right to digital privacy? Sign up for EFF's EFFector newsletter for updates, ways to take action, and new merch drops. You can also fuel the fight for privacy and free speech online when you support EFF today!

Missed EFF's Livestream with Adam Savage and iFixit? Listen Here!

27 July 2026 at 21:25

EFF’s first EFFecting Change livestream was all the way back in July of 2024. Maybe you've caught each stream, or maybe you’ve only caught a few. Or maybe you’re like me and prefer to listen to conversations like these on your daily commute! Either way, if you want to stay on top of these monthly conversations, you can now subscribe to our new podcast feed for EFFecting Change—starting with our conversation on the Right to Repair movement with Adam Savage and iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens:

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This new feed will include the full conversations with our panelists, posted after the livestream ends. Subscribe today to get each stream straight to your podcast player of choice. You can also find other podcasts by EFF at eff.org/podcast.

And mark your calendar for the next EFFecting Change livestream: Who the Machine Serves. EFF Executive Director Nicole Ozer and Cory Doctorow will be having a conversation on AI, tackling what needs to happen now to ensure AI actually works for everyone, not just those in power. RSVP today!

Want to ensure EFF can keep inviting expert panelists to chat about the future of technology and how it impacts you? Support our work today.

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🚫 Don't Let Congress Age-Gate the Internet | EFFector 38.13

15 July 2026 at 19:02

The effort to age gate the internet is back in Washington—and now it has a new name. Recently passed by the House of Representatives, the KIDS Act is a sprawling package of proposals to control what we can see and say online. Supporters claim the KIDS Act is needed to protect minors online. But if lawmakers really want to make the internet safer, why are they encouraging more surveillance instead of protecting our privacy? We dive into this question with our EFFector newsletter.

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For over 35 years, EFFector has been your guide to understanding the intersection of technology, civil liberties, and the law. This issue covers a victory for location privacy in the Supreme Court, disturbing developments in the militarization of domestic drones, and a controversial Congressional bill to control what we can see and say online.

Prefer to listen in? EFFector is now available on all major podcast platforms. This time, we're chatting with EFF Senior Policy Analyst Joe Mullin on what would happen to the open internet if the KIDS Act becomes law. You can find the episode and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice:

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Want to protect your right to online anonymity and access to the open web? Sign up for EFF's EFFector newsletter for updates, ways to take action, and new merch drops. You can also fuel the fight for privacy and free speech online when you support EFF today!

🦅 Domestic Spying Takes an L | EFFector 38.12

24 June 2026 at 18:20

Sold to the public as a foreign surveillance tool, Section 702 is the law has let intelligence agencies spy on millions of Americans’ private conversations without a warrant. Despite years of revelations about this law's misuse, Congress has repeatedly reauthorized Section 702 without meaningful reform. Until this month, that is, when it finally lapsed in a major victory for privacy. In our latest EFFector newsletter, we're covering the expiration of Section 702 and what happens next.

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For over 35 years, EFFector has been your guide to understanding the intersection of technology, civil liberties, and the law. This issue covers a disastrous plan to overhaul the U.S. Copyright Office, why the UK's social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents, and a new Senate bill taking aim at government pressure to silence lawful speech online.

Prefer to listen in? EFFector is now available on all major podcast platforms. This time, we're chatting with EFF Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Guariglia on what the expiration of Section 702 means for warrantless domestic spying. You can find the episode and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice:

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Want to protect your private conversations? Sign up for EFF's EFFector newsletter for updates, ways to take action, and new merch drops. You can also fuel the fight for privacy and free speech online when you support EFF today!

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