📅 May 16, 2014

Apple Earns 6 Stars In EFF’s “Who Has Your Back” Report For Protecting Your Data From Government Requests

In EFF’s 2014 “Who Has Your Back” report, Apple earned the maximum of six gold stars for all six categories measured by the privacy group.

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In EFF’s 2014 “Who Has Your Back” report, Apple earned the maximum of six stars for all six categories measured by the privacy group. The categories are as follows: warrants for content; informing users about data requests; publishing transparency reports; publishing law enforcement guidelines; fighting for user rights in courts; and fighting for user rights in Congress. 

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📅 May 1, 2013

Apple Doesn’t Need A Warrant To Give Your Data To The Government And They Won’t Even Tell You About It

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has just released their annual report on which companies help protect your data from the government. The report is ranking the biggest tech companies for who does the best job protecting your data from being rifled through by the Federal Government. Guess what? Apple won’t even tell you nor does they need a warrant for passing on your ( our ) data to the gov.

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has just released their annual report on which companies help protect your data  from the government. The report is ranking the biggest tech companies for who does the best job protecting your data from being rifled through by the Federal Government. Guess what? Apple won’t even tell you nor does they need a warrant for passing on your ( our ) data to the gov.

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📅 January 25, 2012

Jailbreaking Is Not A Crime: Help EFF Keep Jailbreaking Legal

July 26th, 2010 – the day that iOS jailbreaking/unlocking and Android rooting became officially legal thanks to EFF ( Electronic Frontier Foundation ).  This year, EFF is asking the U.S. Copyright Office to renew that exemption (otherwise it will expire) and expand it to cover tablets. We’re also asking for a new exemption to allow jailbreaking of video game consoles.

 

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📅 December 28, 2011

Essentials: OPK of Chronic DevTeam

Today, we’re starting an expose of developers/awesome mofos and the essentials that they carry with them at all times. Whether traveling or commuting, what are the items they can’t leave home without? What do they carry them in? Also, what are their top 5 apps/tweaks they can’t live without?

First to jump on board with us is OPK of Chronic DevTeam. Head over the break to check out his Essentials…

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📅 July 26, 2010

Rulemaking Fixes Critical DMCA Wrongs: iOS Jailbreaking/Unlocking And Android Rooting Officially Legal

The Library of Congress has added new anti-circumvention exceptions to the DMCA that, among other things, allow people to tweak their handsets for the purpose of installing legally obtained software — known as jailbreaking in iOS land, and rooting in the Android / webOS world.

WOW! iH8sn0w passed this story to us, and we still can’t believe it! The Library of Congress has added new anti-circumvention exceptions to the DMCA that, among other things, allow people to tweak their handsets for the purpose of installing legally obtained software — known as jailbreaking in iOS land, and rooting in the Android / webOS world.

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📅 May 4, 2009

iPhone Jailbreaking Might Be Legal Starting Friday

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Apple’s iPhone marketing chief will square off against the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others Friday as the U.S. Copyright Office considers whether to allow an exemption to the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that would permit jailbreaking. Vice President of iPod and iPhone Product Marketing Greg Joswiak is set to testify Friday afternoon in Palo Alto, California, as the Copyright Office holds the first in a series of hearings on possible exemptions to the nation’s copyright law.
The office holds these hearings every three years. In the past it has granted copy exemptions to people such as college film professors who want to make compilations for their students or users of obsolete software who need to copy their programs to new media formats. This year marks the first time the office will hear arguments about the iPhone, however, and Apple is doing its best to stop the jailbreakers.

It has hired well-respected Fenwick & West intellectual property lawyer David Hayes to represent it at the hearing, and has filed a 27-page legal brief (pdf) arguing that legalizing jailbreaking would lead to “copyright infringement, potential damage to the device and other potential harmful physical effects, adverse effects on the functioning of the device, and breach of contract.”

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter. Although it has not prosecuted hackers who have developed jailbreak software, Apple maintains that the practice violates the DMCA, which prohibits the circumvention of copy control mechanisms.
Technical users have been jailbreaking the iPhone since soon after it was released two years ago, despite Apple’s best efforts to make it impossible. Apple strictly controls what software can run on the iPhone, but jailbroken phones have no such restrictions.

The problem is that the iPhone’s digital rights management system not only prevents people from illegally copying its software, it also blocks legitimate users who want to run software on the device that is not approved by Apple, according to EFF attorney Fred von Lohmann. “When an iPhone owner jailbreaks her iPhone, no copyrights are infringed,” he said in an e-mail message. “Granting an exemption will not reduce the availability of iPhone firmware or apps – in fact, it’s likely to increase the availability of both, by creating a more competitive, vibrant, consumer-driven marketplace.”
If the EFF wins its case, users will not only be able to jailbreak the iPhone without running the risk of facing a DMCA lawsuit.


They’ll be able to legally bypass similar technology on other phones too, such as T-Mobile’s Android-based G1 phone. The Copyright Office isn’t expected to make a decision on the jailbreaking issue until October, von Lohmann said, but even if Apple loses, Apple could still decide to go after jailbreakers, saying they violated their iPhone license agreement.

“But an exemption would be a significant step toward legalizing jailbreaking,” he added. Whatever happens, these arguments will probably be made again in 2012. DMCA exceptions have a shelf life of three years.