When we give our private information to the government to pay taxes, apply for a job, or vote, we should be able to trust that our data won't later be used against us. But in a betrayal of that trust, the federal government has been pooling the information it has about us on an unprecedented scale—and using it for purposes we never agreed to.

EFF and other groups are fighting back. On this episode, we're talking to EFF's F. Mario Trujillo about a recent victory in our lawsuit against the government for sharing federal workers' confidential personnel files with DOGE.

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro
4:17 Resisting the Menace of Government Data Consolidation with F. Mario Trujillo
18:00 How to Block Ad Trackers
23:17 EFF Events and Opportunities

No one should have to think twice before posting a meme criticizing the government. But a mass surveillance program known as "Catch and Revoke" was created to make millions do just that.

EFF and other defenders of free speech are fighting back. On this episode, we're talking to EFF's Lisa Femia about how the government is using AI to suppress protected speech online—and the important lawsuit she and others are working on to stop it.

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro
6:19 The Lawsuit Challenging "Catch and Revoke" with Lisa Femia
19:27 Celebrating Opt Out October
28:11 EFF Events and Opportunities

With the launch of iOS 27, Apple is rolling out a variety of new AI features to its familiar voice assistant, Siri. But how are AI tools like these handling our data? And what can we do to make sure our private information stays private?

On this episode, we're talking to EFF's Thorin Klosowski about the privacy complications of AI phone features—and how to limit what data Siri AI can access.

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro

6:05 How to Limit What Apple’s New Siri AI Can Access with Thorin Klosowski

18:16 Flock ALPR News Quiz

24:16 EFF Events and Opportunities

Around the country and across the political spectrum, people are pushing back against Flock cameras. After years of license plate readers quietly proliferating on our streets, dozens of communities have terminated their Flock contracts in the last month alone.

Joining them are Texas and Florida, which recently announced state action stepping back from these surveillance systems. On this episode, we're talking to EFF's Adam Schwartz about what comes next and how we can make sure that today's backlash leads to lasting change.

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro

4:24 Flock and the Surveillance Backlash with Adam Schwartz

20:18 License Plate Reader Quiz

24:58 EFF Events and Opportunities

Your location isn't just a pin on a map. Once collected, this information can expose some of the most intimate details about your life. The value of this information to advertisers and others has turned the location data business into a multi-billion dollar industry.

But how do data brokers even know where we are? And what can we do to take back our privacy? A new EFF report highlights how location data is harvested from apps on our phones—potentially without app developers themselves even realizing it.

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro

3:38 Mobile Apps and Location Data with Lena Cohen

24:25 The Fight for Digital Rights with Nicole Ozer

50:37 EFF Events and Opportunities

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.

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro

3:12 Fitness Trackers & Privacy Concerns with Thorin Klosowski

21:51 Fitness Trackers Quiz

25:21 Upcoming Events & Opportunities

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 surveillance instead of protecting our privacy?

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Support our work today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro

5:42 Understanding the KIDS Act w/ Joe Mullin

22:49 KIDS Act Quiz

29:26 EFF Events and Opportunities

The Fourth Amendment is supposed to protect Americans from unreasonable searches by their government. But in some cases, there has been a glaring loophole if the FBI wants to read your emails. Sold to the public as a foreign surveillance tool, Section 702 is a law that 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 Section 702 finally lapsed in a major victory for privacy. But why did it happen, and what happens next?

EFFector is a podcast by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. Become an EFF member today at https://eff.org/podfan.

0:00 Intro

3:19 Interview with Matthew Guariglia

24:51 Threat Modeling Exercise

33:16 EFF Events and Opportunities