EFF launches "Surveillance Self Defense" -- comprehensive guide to blocking govt snooping

Rebecca Jeshke from the Electronic Frontier Foundation sez, "Most Americans know very little about how the law protects them from searches, seizures, and surveillance. EFF launched Surveillance Self-Defense today -- a practical, online how-to guide for protecting your private data against government spying. The guide includes tips on assessing the security risks to your personal computer files and communications, strategies for interacting with law enforcement, and articles on specific defensive technologies such as encryption that can help protect the privacy of your data."

Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) exists to answer two main questions: What can the government legally do to spy on your computer data and communications? And what can you legally do to protect yourself against such spying?
After an introductory discussion of how you should think about making security decisions — it's all about risk management — we'll be answering those two questions for three types of data:
First, we're going to talk about the threat to the data stored on your computer posed by searches and seizures by law enforcement, as well as subpoenas demanding your records.
Second, we're going to talk about the threat to your data on the wire — that is, your data as it's being transmitted — posed by wiretapping and other real-time surveillance of your telephone and Internet communications by law enforcement.
Third, we're going to describe the information about you that is stored by third parties like your phone company and your Internet service provider, and how law enforcement officials can get it.
In each of these three sections, we're going to give you practical advice about how to protect your private data against law enforcement agents.

The SSD Project (Thanks, Rebecca!)

Discussion

Take a look at this

#1 posted by justin

, March 3, 2009 9:08 AM

Great resource. The site covers many aspects of security and the trade-offs. Bruce Schneier would be proud. This kind of stuff is why I'm happy to be a supporting member of the EFF. I'm wearing my EFF t-shirt today, in fact.

#2 posted by shadowfirebird , March 3, 2009 9:10 AM

Any chance of someone doing a UK edition? I think we're in more need of it than you folks in the US.

Although that probably means that any UK addition would consist of two words, the first of which would be "you're" and the second of which would be rather impolite...

#3 posted by SherryArt , March 3, 2009 10:37 AM

Here's a story how a friend and I foiled the FBI's attacks on our privacy.
"FBI Entertainment"
http://sherryart.typepad.com/sherryart/2007/04/fbi_entertainme.html

#4 posted by kkretsch , March 4, 2009 8:40 AM

Great topic. I myself started building a tool to minimize possible sniffing on my internet usage using www.binge-linking.com which I developed after reading "little brother".
It uses the same idea as turning the water tap on whilst talking secret things to your friend.

#5 posted by Anonymous , March 6, 2009 4:50 AM

The role of a State is to preserve the person and property of its citizens from illegal and unauthorised intrusions. In the modern technological era this role has considerably changed. The State instead of protecting its citizens is trying to regulate their online conduct through e-surveillance. An important question that arises in this situation is whether the citizens can exercise right to self-defense against illegal eavesdropping and e-surveillance? More at http://perry4lawgroups.blogspot.com/2009/03/private-defense-in-cyberspace-against.html.