DEF CON 33 - Ask EFF - Cooper Quintin, Lisa Femia, Thorin Klosowski, Alexis Hancock, Hannah Zhao

The EFF public interest technology team works to make security ubiquitous and accessible through open-source tools, protecting individuals from surveillance by both governments and corporations. 2:35

Key Takeaways:
• Serbot automates TLS certificates, helping make the web more encrypted and safer for users, contributing to over 80% of global web traffic now being HTTPS, which makes it harder for casual surveillance to succeed 4:21.
• Privacy Badger detects and blocks tracking on websites, and has become critical in countering data brokers and private surveillance, especially as government surveillance shifts to corporate data collection 17:45.
• Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) provides accessible, context-sensitive security guidance for everyday people, helping them assess risks and make informed decisions—especially for activists and marginalized communities—moving away from rigid, outdated advice 10:50.
• Threat Lab conducts deep security research on tools used by at-risk communities, such as analyzing apps like Brightwheel and Ice Block to expose data vulnerabilities and push for better security practices 24:08.
• EFF’s investigation into Bad Box revealed widespread pre-installed malware in low-cost Android devices, leading to product recalls and ongoing legal action against manufacturers and platforms like Amazon 34:02.

Activists and everyday users can better protect themselves by using open tools, understanding privacy risks, and demanding stronger data privacy laws. 35:14

Sources:

• 2:35 Overview of Serb