It’s Day One of EFF’s summer membership drive for internet freedom! Gather round the virtual campfire because I’ve got special treats and a story for you:

1. New member t-shirts and limited-edition gear drop TODAY.
   
   
2. Through EFF's 34th birthday on July 10, you can get 2 rare gifts and become an EFF member for just $20! AND new automatic monthly or annual donors get an instant match.
   
   
3. I’m proud to share the first post in a series from our friends, The Encryptids—the rarely-seen enigmas who inspire campfire lore. But this time, they’re spilling secrets about how they survive this ever-digital world. We begin by checking in with the legendary Bigfoot de la Sasquatch...

-Aaron
EFF Membership Team

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P

eople say I'm the most famous of The Encryptids, but sometimes I don't want the spotlight. They all want a piece of me: exes, ad trackers, scammers, even the government. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but my digital profile is worth cash (to skeezy data brokers). I can’t hit a city block without being captured by doorbell cameras, CCTV, license plate readers, and a maze of street-level surveillance. It can make you want to give up on privacy altogether. Honey, no. Why should you have to hole up in some dank, busted forest for freedom and respect? You don’t.

Privacy isn't about hiding. It's about revealing what you want to who you want on your terms. It's your basic right to dignity.

Privacy isn't about hiding...It's your basic right to dignity.

A wise EFF technologist once told me, “Nothing makes you a ghost online.” So what we need is control, sweetie! You're not on your own! EFF worked for decades to set legal precedents for us, to push for good policy, fight crap policy, and create tools so you can be more private and secure on the web RIGHT NOW. They even have whole ass guides that help people around the world protect themselves online. For free!

I know a few things about strangers up in your business, leaked photos, and wanting to live in peace. Your rights and freedoms are too important to leave them up to tech companies and politicians. This world is a better place for having people like the lawyers, activists, and techs at EFF.

Join EFF

Privacy is a "human" right

Privacy is a team sport and the team needs you. Sign up with EFF today and not only can you get fun stuff (featuring ya boy Footy), you’ll make the internet better for everyone.

XOXO,

Bigfoot DLS

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EFF is a member-supported U.S. 501(c)(3) organization celebrating TEN YEARS of top ratings from the nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator! Your donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law.

At least twice each year, we invite current EFF members to gather with fellow internet freedom supporters and to meet the people behind your favorite digital civil liberties organization. For this year’s Bay Area based members, we had the opportunity to take over Babylon Burning’s screen printing shop in San Francisco, where Mike Lynch and his team bring EFF art(work) to life.

To kick off the evening we had EFF’s Director of Member Engagement Aaron Jue, talk about the near-20-year friendship between EFF and Babylon Burning, the shop that has printed everything from t-shirts to hoodies to hats, and now tote bags. At EFF, we love the opportunity to support a local business and have a great partnership at the same time. When we send our artwork to Mike and his staff, we know it is in good hands.

Following Aaron, EFF’s Creative Director Hugh D’Andrade dived into some of EFF’s most popular works such as the NSA Spying Eagle and the many versions of the EFF Liberty Mecha. The EFF NSA Spying Eagle focuses on mass surveillance found in the Hepting and Jewel cases. The EFF Liberty Mecha has been featured on four different occasions, most recently on a shirt for DEF CON 29, and highlights freedom, empowerment through technology, interoperability, and teamwork. More information about EFF’s member shirts can be found in our blog and in our shop.

Mike jumped in after Hugh to walk members though a hands-on demonstration of traditional screen printing. Members printed tote bags, toured the Babylon Burning print shop, and mingled with EFF staff and local supporters.

Thank you to everyone that attended this year’s Spring Members’ Speakeasy and continue to support EFF as a member. Your support allows our engineers, lawyers, and skilled advocates to tend the path for technology users, and to nurture your rights to privacy, expression, and innovation online.

Thanks to all of the EFF members who participated at our annual Bay Area meetup. If you're not a member of EFF yet, join us today. See you at the next event!

You might’ve heard that most of EFF’s funding comes from regular people’s modest donations—we’re proud of that. But did you know that EFF members who donate $10 or less each month raised over $400,000 for digital rights this year?

That covers multiple staff members who work in the courts, run advocacy campaigns, and build privacy-enhancing free tech. It might seem like a small gift from you, but it's a huge help to EFF. Truly, just a little does a whole lot. You can be a Sustaining Donor for as little as five bucks a month and, right now, you’ll help EFF get a Year-End Challenge boost!

Join EFF

Become a Sustaining Donor

Start an automatic monthly or annual gift by December 31 and help unlock bonus grants! Every supporter gets EFF closer to a series of seven Year-End Challenge grants set by EFF’s board. These grants become larger as the number of online rights supporters grows. See the counter.

But Wait! There’s More...

Protecting digital privacy and free speech is its own reward. The Year-End Challenge bonus grants make it even better. But here’s one more reason to start a small monthly donation: choice EFF member gear every year.

EFF’s new Watching the Watchers t-shirt is now available with the $5/month Copper Level Membership! There’s an array of fun conversation-starting member perks so you can show your support.

Your freedom is EFF’s guiding star. Help us keep advancing toward a future that supports the rights of tech users everywhere. Start a convenient monthly or annual recurring donation to support digital rights and you’ll help EFF unlock bonus grants before the year ends!

Do you ever look at something once and then get targeted ads? Have you ever been exposed in some company’s data breach? Have you ever heard a lawmaker push restrictions on technology that they don’t even understand?

To live in the modern world is to interact with technology in ways that are wonderful—and others that are an absolute pain in the butt. It's not fair to trade in your dignity or safety, and that’s why people like you stand with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Will you keep EFF fighting and boost us up in our Year-End Challenge?

Give a Year-End Donation

Unlock bonus grants in 2023!

Make ANY donation by December 31 and you’ll help unlock bonus grants for EFF! Every single supporter counts toward getting EFF closer to a series of seven Year-End Challenge grants set by EFF’s board of directors. These grants become larger as the number of online rights supporters grows. See the counter.

EFF is Not Messing Around

Tech touches nearly every aspect of the world, and your rights need protection. Recently, EFF members enabled our team to:

• Speak out at the United Nations Cybercrime Treaty negotiations to stop the countries of the world from agreeing to undermine our digital rights.
• Work on multiple court cases that likely inspired a federal judge to rule that cell phone searches at the U.S. border require a warrant.
  
• Call out proposals across the globe that would sacrifice your speech and security under the pretense of protecting children.
• Spell out the dangers of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), leading California’s Attorney General to declare that it’s illegal to share this data out-of-state.
• Lobby to end Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act to stop the FBI and NSA’s massive access to our communications without a warrant.

EFF has one guiding star: your freedom as a tech user. You can help EFF’s lawyers, activists, policy analysts, and technologists keep advancing toward a brighter future for everybody. Donate to support digital rights today and you’ll help EFF unlock bonus grants before the year ends!

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EFF is celebrating TEN YEARS of top ratings from the nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator. EFF is a member-supported U.S. 501(c)(3) organization and your donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law. You can even start a convenient monthly donation.

Power Up Your Donation Week is here! Right now, your contribution will have double the impact on digital privacy, security, and free speech rights for everyone.

Power Up!

Donate to EFF for an instant 2X match

Thanks to a fund made by a group of dedicated EFF supporters, now through December 5th every online donation gets an instant match up to $304,200! This means every dollar you give becomes two dollars toward fighting surveillance, defending encryption, promoting open access to information, and much more. EFF makes every cent count. 

Free the Web!

Where else can you get health information, talk about your favorite anime, tell a friend you miss them, and learn how to fix that weird issue on your phone all at once? It’s hard to imagine a place where you can be as creative and connected as you are on the internet.

But these gifts also mean that corporations and governments fight hard to control what technology users say and do on the web. Together, we're defending civil liberties and human rights online. Thank you for helping EFF attorneys, activists, policy analysts, and technologists free the web for everyone. And even if you're not able to donate today, consider helping us spread the word to others. Here’s some sample language that you can share:

Thank you for allowing EFF to stand by you and your rights as technology touches evermore aspects of the world. It's a tough place to navigate and we're proud to give our all for your digital freedom. I hope you'll consider making a year-end contribution to help us make the future a little brighter.