Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a non-profit organization that advocates the creation of legal and structural approaches in the computer and communications arenas in order to protect civil liberties such as privacy and freedom of expression. The foundation's goal is to advise policymakers and foster public understanding of the opportunities and challenges posed in the ever-changing computing and communications fields. Its efforts in the area of e-commerce include crafting policies that allow public and private information providers to distribute and sell their information products over the Internet.

Established in July 1990, the EFF initially was funded by private contributions from Mitchell D. Kapor and Apple Computer Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak. Kapor founded the EFF with John Perry Barlow, and they raised contributions from a wide constituency. One of the first legal cases in which the foundation intervened involved a game manufacturer that was the target of the Secret Service's Operation Sun Devil. Steve Jackson's company's computer equipment was seized by the government, and the EFF pressed for a full disclosure of that action. A second case had the EFF seeking "friend of the court" status for Craig Neidorf, a 20-year-old University of Missouri student who edited the electronic newsletter Phrack World News. Kapor discussed the foundation's interest in these cases in an EFF press release, explaining: "It is becoming increasingly obvious that the rate of technology advancement in communications is far outpacing the establishment of appropriate cultural, legal, and political frameworks to handle the issues that are arising. And the Steve Jackson and Neidorf cases dramatically point to the timeliness of the Foundation's mission. We intend to be instrumental in helping shape a new framework that embraces these powerful new technologies for the public good."

The expansive web of electronic media that links society is ushering in a new age of communications. New digital networks are the subject of significant debate, in terms of governance and jurisdiction. While generally a positive thing, pressing issues arise when information flows so freely. These problems include protecting children from sexually explicit materials, guarding intellectual property rights, and determining which country's laws have jurisdiction over a medium that is nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Ensuring that controversial speech is not stifled is another concern. The new electronic media is not so easily governed as its conventional counterpart, which is given structure and coherence through time-honored legal principles and cultural standards. The EFF's mission is to find ways to resolve these and other issues while protecting fundamental civil liberties.

Based in San Francisco, California, the EFF also has offices in Washington, D.C., and New York. The foundation dedicates itself to preserving free expression, protecting digital privacy, and defining online fair use. They work toward these goals through active involvement in legal cases, conducting educational programs, providing free hotlines, and encouraging access to new media by non-technical users.