By Casey Muller
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is pretty much the oldest and
most respected online advocacy group. They've been around since before
the Internet got very big, and they hav consistently provided real
help to wronged "Netizens" everywhere.
Looking at the list of pending cases, it is clear they serve an important
function in the current political climate. It is important that there
is a balancing force to the very wealthy copyright holders. In terms
of money, EFF is fundamentally a member-supported foundation. The
structure is very loose, with membership donations starting at $25,
and merchandise incentives at $65 and $100. These donations are matched
by corporations and probably supplanted in other ways.
The role of the EFF in today's society cannot be overestimated. It
is easy to believe that because of the way the Internet is structured
technically, privacy is inherent in it. However, it's important to
guard against invasive laws now, because technical circumvention will
eventually fail.
One of the fundamental precepts of the Internet has always been the
concept of anonymous free expression for everyone, and this still
an important feature of the network. EFF's rhetoric on the subject
is extremely convincing, and clearly they are fighting a very important
battle that will shape the future of all digital media. We can only
hope that their grassroots support can continue to stand up to increased
corporate attack.