Electronic Frontier Foundation
@eff.org
We're the Electronic Frontier Foundation. We're a nonprofit that fights for your privacy and free speech online. Find all of EFF's social media accounts at eff.org/social.
eff.org
eff.org
Learn how governments are able to read certain text messages, and how to ensure your messages are end-to-end encrypted on Digital Rights Bytes, our site dedicated to helping break down tech issues into byte-sized pieces. www.digitalrightsbytes.org/topics/can-...
Can the Government Read My Text Messages?
Can the Government Read My Text Messages?
www.digitalrightsbytes.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Learn how governments are able to read certain text messages, and how to ensure your messages are end-to-end encrypted on Digital Rights Bytes, our site dedicated to helping break down tech issues into byte-sized pieces. www.digitalrightsbytes.org/topics/can-...
It's much easier to use apps that support end-to-end encryption than it used to be, but it's still good to know how it works. ssd.eff.org/module/deep...
A Deep Dive on End-to-End Encryption: How Do Public Key Encryption Systems Work?
If you haven’t yet, we recommend reading a few guides before this one, to help cement some of the concepts discussed here: What Should I Know About Encryption?, Key Concepts of Encryption, and Key Verification.
If used correctly, end-to-end encryption can help protect the contents of your messages, text, and...
ssd.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:59 PM
It's much easier to use apps that support end-to-end encryption than it used to be, but it's still good to know how it works. ssd.eff.org/module/deep...
Developing a plan for if or when something bad happens online is a good practice for anyone, but especially a community of people who face increased risk. It’s important to strategize with your allies around what to do in the event of such things happening. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Building a Community Privacy Plan
Everyone's security plans and situations will always be different, which is why we often say that security and privacy are a state of mind, not a purchase. But the first step is always taking a look
www.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Developing a plan for if or when something bad happens online is a good practice for anyone, but especially a community of people who face increased risk. It’s important to strategize with your allies around what to do in the event of such things happening. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Colocar o Signal em funcionamento no seu telemóvel demora apenas alguns minutos. Se já tiver configurado, tome um minuto para ajudar seus colegas também. ssd.eff.org/pt-br/modul...
Como fazer: Utilizar o sinal
O Signal é um aplicativo gratuito e de código aberto para Android, iOS e desktop que emprega criptografia de ponta a ponta para manter as comunicações seguras. O Signal certificou aos tribunais que mantém apenas dois tipos de dados de usuários disponíveis para agentes da lei: registros de data e...
ssd.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Colocar o Signal em funcionamento no seu telemóvel demora apenas alguns minutos. Se já tiver configurado, tome um minuto para ajudar seus colegas também. ssd.eff.org/pt-br/modul...
Ring’s new facial recognition feature provides regulators a clear opportunity to step up to investigate, protect people’s privacy, and test the strength of their laws. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
The Legal Case Against Ring’s Face Recognition Feature
Many biometric privacy laws across the country are clear: Companies need your affirmative consent before running face recognition on you.
www.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Ring’s new facial recognition feature provides regulators a clear opportunity to step up to investigate, protect people’s privacy, and test the strength of their laws. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Opt Out October ofrece tips diarios para recuperar privacidad: desactiva rastreo de anuncios, ajusta permisos de ubicación y elimina cuentas que no usas. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Octubre para darse de baja: consejos diarios para proteger su
Controlar tu privacidad en Internet puede ser un trabajo a tiempo completo. Pero si lo distribuyes entre tareas más pequeñas y abordas un objetivo cada vez, el proceso de proteger tu privacidad
www.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Opt Out October ofrece tips diarios para recuperar privacidad: desactiva rastreo de anuncios, ajusta permisos de ubicación y elimina cuentas que no usas. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Government and law enforcement have demonstrated that they are willing to use every tool available to spy on protesters, people seeking abortions, immigrants, and many others. That’s why we need to fight surveillance where it matters most: our local communities. takebackctrl.org/stop-survei...
November 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Government and law enforcement have demonstrated that they are willing to use every tool available to spy on protesters, people seeking abortions, immigrants, and many others. That’s why we need to fight surveillance where it matters most: our local communities. takebackctrl.org/stop-survei...
Registros de Flock Safety muestran búsquedas de matrículas con términos racistas contra personas romaníes, a menudo sin delito asociado: sesgo policial documentado. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
License Plate Surveillance Logs Reveal Racist Policing Against Romani
More than 80 law enforcement agencies across the United States have used language perpetuating harmful stereotypes against Romani people when searching the nationwide Flock Safety automated license
www.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Registros de Flock Safety muestran búsquedas de matrículas con términos racistas contra personas romaníes, a menudo sin delito asociado: sesgo policial documentado. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Self-hosting is a fun way to cut big tech platforms out of your life, but if the cops come knocking you need to know how to defend the privacy of you and your users. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
How Cops Can Get Your Private Online Data
Can the cops get your online data? In short, yes. There are a variety of US federal and state laws which give law enforcement powers to obtain information that you provided to online services. But,
www.eff.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Self-hosting is a fun way to cut big tech platforms out of your life, but if the cops come knocking you need to know how to defend the privacy of you and your users. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Law enforcement has begun to rival intelligence agencies in acquiring privacy-invasive technologies. EFF pushes back in the courts, in the legislatures, and on the streets. But we need your support: supporters.eff.org/donate/tbc
Defend Privacy and Free Speech
Don’t let tyrants co-opt tech. Join EFF and help fight back.
supporters.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Law enforcement has begun to rival intelligence agencies in acquiring privacy-invasive technologies. EFF pushes back in the courts, in the legislatures, and on the streets. But we need your support: supporters.eff.org/donate/tbc
License plate readers were sold as tools for finding stolen cars, but records have shown that they're being used in abortion investigations. States must ban law enforcement from using ALPRs to investigate healthcare decisions and prohibit sharing data across state lines. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Flock Safety and Texas Sheriff Claimed License Plate Search Was for a
New documents and court records obtained by EFF show that Texas deputies queried Flock Safety's surveillance data in an abortion investigation, contradicting the narrative promoted by the company and
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 10:03 PM
License plate readers were sold as tools for finding stolen cars, but records have shown that they're being used in abortion investigations. States must ban law enforcement from using ALPRs to investigate healthcare decisions and prohibit sharing data across state lines. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
There's a more secure alternative to texting via your phone's native messaging app. Signal is a free app that employs end-to-end encryption and we have a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use it. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
How to: Use Signal
Download location: Google Play Store, Apple App Store
System requirements: Android 5 or later, iOS 13 or later
Version used in this guide: Android: 7.38.6 iPhone: 7.5.1
License: GPLv3
Level: Beginner
Time required: 15-20 minutes
Other reading:
https://signal.org/
https://support.signal.org/
https://signal.org/blog/
Table of Contents
Download and Install Signal
Register and Verify...
ssd.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
There's a more secure alternative to texting via your phone's native messaging app. Signal is a free app that employs end-to-end encryption and we have a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use it. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
Check out Gate Crashing – EFF’s interview series where we talk to people who have used the internet to take nontraditional paths to break into the traditional worlds of journalism and creativity. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now! www.eff.org/pages/gate-...
About the Series
There is a lot of bad on the internet and it seems to only be getting worse. But one of the things the internet did well, and is worth preserving, is nontraditional paths for creativity, journalism,
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Check out Gate Crashing – EFF’s interview series where we talk to people who have used the internet to take nontraditional paths to break into the traditional worlds of journalism and creativity. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now! www.eff.org/pages/gate-...
Alongside armored vehicles, local police are getting surveillance technology with help from the federal government. Learn what tech law enforcement have in your area with EFF's Atlas of Surveillance, where we’ve documented thousands of examples: atlasofsurveillance.org/
Atlas of Surveillance
Documenting Police Tech in Our Communities with Open Source Research
www.atlasofsurveillance.org
November 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Alongside armored vehicles, local police are getting surveillance technology with help from the federal government. Learn what tech law enforcement have in your area with EFF's Atlas of Surveillance, where we’ve documented thousands of examples: atlasofsurveillance.org/
DOGE and others in the administration want to build a giant database of records by haphazardly combining info the government collected for one purpose, like paying taxes, and use it for another purpose, like targeting immigrants. We can't let this happen. takebackctrl.org/get-a-warrant
November 9, 2025 at 6:03 PM
DOGE and others in the administration want to build a giant database of records by haphazardly combining info the government collected for one purpose, like paying taxes, and use it for another purpose, like targeting immigrants. We can't let this happen. takebackctrl.org/get-a-warrant
La función Familiar Faces trasladaría obligaciones a usuarios mientras captura rostros de no usuarios; es un problema de consentimiento y responsabilidad. www.eff.org/es/deeplink...
El caso legal contra el reconocimiento facial de Ring
Hay muchas legislación sobre privacidad biométrica en todo el país, y es muy clara: las empresas necesitan tu consentimiento expreso antes de utilizar el reconocimiento facial contigo.
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
La función Familiar Faces trasladaría obligaciones a usuarios mientras captura rostros de no usuarios; es un problema de consentimiento y responsabilidad. www.eff.org/es/deeplink...
We’ve teamed up with the researchers at AV Comparatives to test the most popular anti-virus products for Android to see how well they detect the most popular stalkerware products in 2025. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
EFF Teams Up With AV Comparatives to Test Android Stalkerware
EFF has, for many years, raised the alarm about the proliferation of stalkerware—commercially-available apps designed to be installed covertly on another person’s device to exfiltrate data from that
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM
We’ve teamed up with the researchers at AV Comparatives to test the most popular anti-virus products for Android to see how well they detect the most popular stalkerware products in 2025. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Funneling scholars into a few major platforms isn’t just annoying, it’s corrosive to intellectual freedom. Institutions should support researchers moving to more democratic and decentralized alternatives. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Science Must Decentralize
Knowledge production doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Every great scientific breakthrough is built on prior work, and an ongoing exchange with peers in the field. That’s why we need to address the threat
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Funneling scholars into a few major platforms isn’t just annoying, it’s corrosive to intellectual freedom. Institutions should support researchers moving to more democratic and decentralized alternatives. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
There is no such thing as "just" metadata. ssd.eff.org/en/module/w...
Why Communication Metadata Matters
As its name suggests, metadata is data about data. Metadata is used in a variety of contexts, often for cataloging information, like tagging keywords in a video so it’s easy to find later. When it comes to computers, people often first think of "file metadata," which includes details about when...
ssd.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 10:59 PM
There is no such thing as "just" metadata. ssd.eff.org/en/module/w...
There’s a lot bad on the internet, but one of the great things about it is the opportunity it provides for creatives to break into traditional fields. Check out each episode of Gate Crashing as we talk with a few of the people who crashed through the gates of journalism: www.eff.org/pages/gate-....
About the Series
There is a lot of bad on the internet and it seems to only be getting worse. But one of the things the internet did well, and is worth preserving, is nontraditional paths for creativity, journalism,
www.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 9:56 PM
There’s a lot bad on the internet, but one of the great things about it is the opportunity it provides for creatives to break into traditional fields. Check out each episode of Gate Crashing as we talk with a few of the people who crashed through the gates of journalism: www.eff.org/pages/gate-....
If you’re confused about the difference between “age verification,” “age estimation,” “age assurance,” and “age gate” — you’re not alone. Let’s help you make sense of it all. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Age Verification, Estimation, Assurance, Oh My! A Guide to the
Age verification, age assurance, age estimation, age gating—they get thrown around interchangeably, but they technically mean different things. And those differences matter a lot when we're talking
www.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
If you’re confused about the difference between “age verification,” “age estimation,” “age assurance,” and “age gate” — you’re not alone. Let’s help you make sense of it all. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Thousands of cities allowed cops to run racists searches through their Flock Safety license plate reader databases. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
License Plate Surveillance Logs Reveal Racist Policing Against Romani
More than 80 law enforcement agencies across the United States have used language perpetuating harmful stereotypes against Romani people when searching the nationwide Flock Safety automated license
www.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Thousands of cities allowed cops to run racists searches through their Flock Safety license plate reader databases. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
El reconocimiento facial de Ring podría crear plantillas biométricas de gente sin consentimiento, exponiendo a Amazon a riesgos legales bajo leyes estatales. www.eff.org/es/deeplink...
El caso legal contra el reconocimiento facial de Ring
Hay muchas legislación sobre privacidad biométrica en todo el país, y es muy clara: las empresas necesitan tu consentimiento expreso antes de utilizar el reconocimiento facial contigo.
www.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 7:01 PM
El reconocimiento facial de Ring podría crear plantillas biométricas de gente sin consentimiento, exponiendo a Amazon a riesgos legales bajo leyes estatales. www.eff.org/es/deeplink...
EFF is fighting for technology users and with your support, we're here to stay.
Become a member today to help us Take Back CTRL of tech, and we'll thank you with a new set of camera covers along with the member gift you choose. Join us! supporters.eff.org/donate/tbc
Become a member today to help us Take Back CTRL of tech, and we'll thank you with a new set of camera covers along with the member gift you choose. Join us! supporters.eff.org/donate/tbc
Defend Privacy and Free Speech
Don’t let tyrants co-opt tech. Join EFF and help fight back.
supporters.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 6:01 PM
EFF is fighting for technology users and with your support, we're here to stay.
Become a member today to help us Take Back CTRL of tech, and we'll thank you with a new set of camera covers along with the member gift you choose. Join us! supporters.eff.org/donate/tbc
Become a member today to help us Take Back CTRL of tech, and we'll thank you with a new set of camera covers along with the member gift you choose. Join us! supporters.eff.org/donate/tbc
We feel that the time was right to take a more up-to-date snapshot of how well the anti-virus companies are performing. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
EFF Teams Up With AV Comparatives to Test Android Stalkerware
EFF has, for many years, raised the alarm about the proliferation of stalkerware—commercially-available apps designed to be installed covertly on another person’s device to exfiltrate data from that
www.eff.org
November 8, 2025 at 4:56 PM
We feel that the time was right to take a more up-to-date snapshot of how well the anti-virus companies are performing. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...