The Electronic Frontier Foundation<\/a> (EFF) is an international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 1990 by John Gilmore<\/a>, John-Perry Barlow<\/a>, and Mitch Kapor<\/a>, the organization was established to defend civil liberties in the digital world as the internet began to expand into the mainstream. According to their official mission<\/a>, the EFF provides funds for legal defense in court, presents amicus curiae briefs, and defends individuals and new technologies from what it considers baseless or misplaced legal threats.<\/p> The EFF is a major proponent of Privacy<\/a> and Free Expression<\/a>. They engage in extensive litigation against government Surveillance<\/a> programs, most notably in the case of Jewel v. NSA<\/a><\/i>, which challenged the warrantless wiretapping of United States<\/a> citizens. The organization also focuses on Copyright Reform<\/a>, frequently criticizing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)<\/a> for its potential to stifle innovation and fair use.<\/p> Beyond legal advocacy, the EFF develops software tools to empower users to protect their own Digital Security<\/a>. Notable projects include Privacy Badger<\/a>, a browser extension that blocks spying ads and invisible trackers, and the development of Certbot<\/a>. They were also a founding partner of Let's Encrypt<\/a>, a free, automated, and open certificate authority that has dramatically increased the use of HTTPS<\/a> across the web, a milestone documented by Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/p> The EFF has been a vocal supporter of Net Neutrality<\/a>, arguing that internet service providers should treat all data on the internet the same. Their work extends to Patent Reform<\/a>, where they aim to combat 'patent trolls' that hinder software development. Through their Takedown Hall of Shame<\/a>, they highlight abuses of intellectual property laws that result in the removal of legitimate online content.<\/p>Key Advocacy Areas<\/h2>
Technical Projects and Tools<\/h2>
Impact on Digital Policy<\/h2>