CINXE.COM
Privacy First and Competition | Electronic Frontier Foundation
<!DOCTYPE html> <!--[if IEMobile 7]><html class="no-js ie iem7" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if lte IE 6]><html class="no-js ie lt-ie9 lt-ie8 lt-ie7" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if (IE 7)&(!IEMobile)]><html class="no-js ie lt-ie9 lt-ie8" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if IE 8]><html class="no-js ie lt-ie9" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if (gte IE 9)|(gt IEMobile 7)]><html class="no-js ie" lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="fb: http://ogp.me/ns/fb# og: http://ogp.me/ns#"><![endif]--> <!--[if !IE]><!--><html class="no-js" lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="fb: http://ogp.me/ns/fb# og: http://ogp.me/ns#"><!--<![endif]--> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="author" content="Cory Doctorow" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <link rel="profile" href="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta http-equiv="cleartype" content="on" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/phoenix/apple-touch-icon.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/phoenix/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png" /> <meta name="description" content="Monopolists want us to believe that their power over our lives is inevitable and unchangeable, just as the surveillance industry banks on convincing you that the fight for privacy was and always will be a lost cause. But we once had a better internet, and we can get a better internet again. The fight for that better internet starts with privacy, a battle that we all want to" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition" /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (http://drupal.org)" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.eff.org/node/109356" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Electronic Frontier Foundation" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Privacy First and Competition" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Monopolists want us to believe that their power over our lives is inevitable and unchangeable, just as the surveillance industry banks on convincing you that the fight for privacy was and always will be a lost cause. But we once had a better internet, and we can get a better internet again. The fight for that better internet starts with privacy, a battle that we all want to win." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2024-03-06T10:26:03-08:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png" /> <meta property="og:image:url" content="https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png" /> <meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="600" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@eff" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Privacy First and Competition" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Monopolists want us to believe that their power over our lives is inevitable and unchangeable, just as the surveillance industry banks on convincing you that the fight for privacy was and always will" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png" /> <meta name="twitter:image:width" content="1200" /> <meta name="twitter:image:height" content="600" /> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/eff" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-03-06T10:09:06-08:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2024-03-06T10:26:03-08:00" /> <meta itemprop="name" content="Privacy First and Competition" /> <link rel="publisher" href="https://www.eff.org/" /> <meta itemprop="description" content="Monopolists want us to believe that their power over our lives is inevitable and unchangeable, just as the surveillance industry banks on convincing you that the fight for privacy was and always will be a lost cause. But we once had a better internet, and we can get a better internet again. The fight for that better internet starts with privacy, a battle that we all want to win." /> <meta itemprop="image" content="https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png" /> <title>Privacy First and Competition | Electronic Frontier Foundation</title> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.eff.org/files/css/css_ys5BgHL2TNyP6_lBf6AQ-QeeC9qTVIuIwGCz7AJJrJA.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.eff.org/files/css/css_MlxRIoLPx2BkuOx4Yr3zBXWobfPkUH9w0bF8QOSA_xs.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.eff.org/files/css/css_zQXe7zNkzPAckFkavf5fip7f2D992qHaqcbjWZ6KeHw.css" media="all" /> <script>/** * @licstart The following is the entire license notice for the JavaScript * code in this page. * * Copyright (C) 2024 Electronic Frontier Foundation. * * The JavaScript code in this page is free software: you can redistribute * it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License * (GNU GPL) as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 * of the License, or (at your option) any later version. The code is * distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU GPL * for more details. * * As additional permission under GNU GPL version 3 section 7, you may * distribute non-source (e.g., minimized or compacted) forms of that code * without the copy of the GNU GPL normally required by section 4, provided * you include this license notice and a URL through which recipients can * access the Corresponding Source. * * @licend The above is the entire license notice for the JavaScript code * in this page. */ </script> <script src="https://www.eff.org/files/js/js_qd8BaywA4mj4edyGLb52Px4-BwFqScI7dgPymNmaueA.js"></script> <script src="https://www.eff.org/files/js/js_x2A4oj9_rCj5CWR_dGMHrobZW14ZVI9ruZKCDG7yyfM.js"></script> <script src="https://www.eff.org/files/js/js_aoyqGMMZgQZIP71HQUw7zecjGCeyEcqUU5RtU5-iyzw.js"></script> <script src="https://www.eff.org/files/js/js_g7t6BFiX3T9qjjMlQee69jfHL0muKHZPePq_j6OMDUA.js"></script> <script src="https://www.eff.org/files/js/js__Xe3qRXI4pRCW3reIeEW1VC-g3FIxGCZhhouiYsHs6A.js"></script> <script>jQuery.extend(Drupal.settings, {"basePath":"\/","pathPrefix":"","setHasJsCookie":0,"lightbox2":{"rtl":"0","file_path":"\/(\\w\\w\/)public:\/","default_image":"\/sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/lightbox2\/images\/brokenimage.jpg","border_size":10,"font_color":"000","box_color":"fff","top_position":"","overlay_opacity":"0.8","overlay_color":"000","disable_close_click":1,"resize_sequence":0,"resize_speed":10,"fade_in_speed":300,"slide_down_speed":10,"use_alt_layout":1,"disable_resize":0,"disable_zoom":1,"force_show_nav":0,"show_caption":1,"loop_items":1,"node_link_text":"","node_link_target":0,"image_count":"","video_count":"","page_count":"","lite_press_x_close":"press \u003Ca href=\u0022#\u0022 onclick=\u0022hideLightbox(); return FALSE;\u0022\u003E\u003Ckbd\u003Ex\u003C\/kbd\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E to close","download_link_text":"","enable_login":false,"enable_contact":false,"keys_close":"c x 27","keys_previous":"p 37","keys_next":"n 39","keys_zoom":"z","keys_play_pause":"32","display_image_size":"original","image_node_sizes":"()","trigger_lightbox_classes":"","trigger_lightbox_group_classes":"","trigger_slideshow_classes":"","trigger_lightframe_classes":"","trigger_lightframe_group_classes":"","custom_class_handler":0,"custom_trigger_classes":"","disable_for_gallery_lists":true,"disable_for_acidfree_gallery_lists":true,"enable_acidfree_videos":true,"slideshow_interval":5000,"slideshow_automatic_start":true,"slideshow_automatic_exit":true,"show_play_pause":true,"pause_on_next_click":false,"pause_on_previous_click":true,"loop_slides":false,"iframe_width":600,"iframe_height":400,"iframe_border":1,"enable_video":0,"useragent":"Mozilla\/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0; SLCC1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506; .NET CLR 3.5.21022; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)"},"responsive_menus":[{"selectors":"#header-sls-menu","container":"body","trigger_txt":"\u003Cspan class=\u0022mean-burger\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022mean-burger\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022mean-burger\u0022 \/\u003E","close_txt":"X","close_size":"18px","position":"right","media_size":"480","show_children":"1","expand_children":"0","expand_txt":"+","contract_txt":"-","remove_attrs":"1","responsive_menus_style":"mean_menu"}],"urlIsAjaxTrusted":{"\/search\/site":true},"piwikNoscript":{"image":"\u003Cimg style=\u0022position: absolute\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/anon-stats.eff.org\/js\/?idsite=1\u0026amp;rec=1\u0026amp;url=https%3A\/\/www.eff.org\/deeplinks\/2024\/03\/privacy-first-and-competition\u0026amp;action_name=\u0026amp;urlref=\u0026amp;dimension2=blog\u0026amp;dimension3=109356\u0026amp;cvar=%7B%221%22%3A%5B%22author%22%2C%22590%22%5D%7D\u0022 width=\u00220\u0022 height=\u00220\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 \/\u003E"}});</script> </head> <body class="html not-front not-logged-in page-node page-node- page-node-109356 node-type-blog long-read-share-links i18n-en section-deeplinks no-secondary-nav right-sidebar"> <a href="#main-content" class="element-invisible element-focusable">Skip to main content</a> <div id="mobile-nav" class="navigation"> <div> <div class="panel-pane pane-main-nav-menu"> <ul class="menu"><li class=""><a href="/about">About</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/about/contact">Contact</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/press/contact">Press</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/staff" title="Details and contact information for the EFF's staff">People</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/about/opportunities">Opportunities</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="/work">Issues</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/issues/free-speech">Free Speech</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/privacy">Privacy</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/innovation">Creativity and Innovation</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/transparency">Transparency</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/international">International</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/issues/security">Security</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="/updates">Our Work</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/deeplinks">Deeplinks Blog</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=press_release">Press Releases</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=event">Events</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/pages/legal-cases" title="">Legal Cases</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=whitepaper">Whitepapers</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/taxonomy/term/11579/" title="">Podcast</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/about/annual-reports-and-financials" title="">Annual Reports</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="https://act.eff.org/">Take Action</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://act.eff.org/">Action Center</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/fight">Electronic Frontier Alliance</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/about/opportunities/volunteer">Volunteer</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="/pages/tools">Tools</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/privacy-badger" title="">Privacy Badger</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/surveillance-self-defense" title="">Surveillance Self-Defense</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/certbot" title="">Certbot</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/atlas-surveillance" title="">Atlas of Surveillance</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/cover-your-tracks" title="">Cover Your Tracks</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://sls.eff.org/" title="">Street Level Surveillance</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://github.com/EFForg/apkeep" title="">apkeep</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/join-eff-today" title="Donate to EFF">Donate</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/join-eff-today">Donate to EFF</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/givingsociety" title="">Giving Societies</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://shop.eff.org">Shop</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/thanks#organizational_members" title="">Org. Membership</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/helpout">Other Ways to Give</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/pages/membership-faq" title="Frequently Asked Questions and other information about EFF Memberships.">Membership FAQ</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-m--h" title="Donate to EFF">Donate</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-m--h">Donate to EFF</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://shop.eff.org" title="">Shop</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/helpout">Other Ways to Give</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="last leaf"><form class="search-block-form search-site" action="/search/site" method="post" id="search-block-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"><div><div class="container-inline"> <h2 class="element-invisible">Search form</h2> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield form-item-search-block-form"> <label class="element-invisible" for="edit-search-block-form--2">Search </label> <input autocomplete="off" type="text" id="edit-search-block-form--2" name="search_block_form" value="" maxlength="128" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="form-actions form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><button aria-label="search" type="submit" name="op"></button></div><input type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-VUqmK1Jos1kp-DMn6sHtNwqljiAp9W53wXvlQBIDGzI" /> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="search_block_form" /> </div> </div></form></li> </ul> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="mobile-signup"> Email updates on news, actions,<br/> and events in your area. </div> <div id="mobile-signup-button"> <a href="https://supporters.eff.org/subscribe">Join EFF Lists</a> </div> <div id="mobile-footer-bottom"> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-footer-bottom"> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/copyright">Copyright (CC BY)</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/pages/trademark-and-brand-usage-policy" title="Trademark and Brand Usage Policy">Trademark</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/thanks">Thanks</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="masthead-mobile-wrapper"> <div id="masthead-mobile"> <div class="branding"> <div class="panel-pane pane-page-site-name"> <a href="/">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> </div> </div> <div class="hamburger"></div> <div class="donate"> <a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-m--m">Donate</a> </div> </div> </div> <div id="site_banner"> </div> <header id="header"> <div id="page"> <div id="masthead-wrapper"> <div id="masthead"> <div class="branding"> <div class="panel-pane pane-page-site-name"> <a href="/">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> </div> </div> <div id="main-menu-nav" class="navigation"> <div> <div class="panel-pane pane-main-nav-menu"> <ul class="menu"><li class=""><a href="/about">About</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/about/contact">Contact</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/press/contact">Press</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/staff" title="Details and contact information for the EFF's staff">People</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/about/opportunities">Opportunities</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="/work">Issues</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/issues/free-speech">Free Speech</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/privacy">Privacy</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/innovation">Creativity and Innovation</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/transparency">Transparency</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/international">International</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/issues/security">Security</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="/updates">Our Work</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/deeplinks">Deeplinks Blog</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=press_release">Press Releases</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=event">Events</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/pages/legal-cases" title="">Legal Cases</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=whitepaper">Whitepapers</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/taxonomy/term/11579/" title="">Podcast</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/about/annual-reports-and-financials" title="">Annual Reports</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="https://act.eff.org/">Take Action</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://act.eff.org/">Action Center</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/fight">Electronic Frontier Alliance</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/about/opportunities/volunteer">Volunteer</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="/pages/tools">Tools</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/privacy-badger" title="">Privacy Badger</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/surveillance-self-defense" title="">Surveillance Self-Defense</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/certbot" title="">Certbot</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/atlas-surveillance" title="">Atlas of Surveillance</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/pages/cover-your-tracks" title="">Cover Your Tracks</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://sls.eff.org/" title="">Street Level Surveillance</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://github.com/EFForg/apkeep" title="">apkeep</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/join-eff-today" title="Donate to EFF">Donate</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/join-eff-today">Donate to EFF</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/givingsociety" title="">Giving Societies</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://shop.eff.org">Shop</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/thanks#organizational_members" title="">Org. Membership</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/helpout">Other Ways to Give</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/pages/membership-faq" title="Frequently Asked Questions and other information about EFF Memberships.">Membership FAQ</a></li> </ul></li> <li class=""><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-m--h" title="Donate to EFF">Donate</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-m--h">Donate to EFF</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://shop.eff.org" title="">Shop</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/helpout">Other Ways to Give</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="last leaf"><form class="search-block-form search-site" action="/search/site" method="post" id="search-block-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"><div><div class="container-inline"> <h2 class="element-invisible">Search form</h2> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield form-item-search-block-form"> <label class="element-invisible" for="edit-search-block-form--2">Search </label> <input autocomplete="off" type="text" id="edit-search-block-form--2" name="search_block_form" value="" maxlength="128" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="form-actions form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><button aria-label="search" type="submit" name="op"></button></div><input type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-VUqmK1Jos1kp-DMn6sHtNwqljiAp9W53wXvlQBIDGzI" /> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="search_block_form" /> </div> </div></form></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="search-box"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <noscript> <div class="primary-nav-nojs"> </div> </noscript> <!-- See if there's anything above the banner --> <div class="above-banner"> <div class="panel-pane pane-page-title"> <h1>Privacy First and Competition</h1> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-eff-content-type"> DEEPLINKS BLOG </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-eff-author"> <div class="byline">By <a href="/about/staff/cory-doctorow">Cory Doctorow</a></div><div class="date">March 6, 2024</div> </div> </div> <!-- See if there's anything in the banner --> <div class="banner-wrapper"> <div class="panel-pane pane-banner column"> <div class="banner"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png" alt="" /></div> </div> </div> <div id="main-content"> <div id="breadcrumb"> </div> <div class="main-column"> <div class="panel-pane pane-page-title"> <h1>Privacy First and Competition</h1> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-page-content"> <div class="long-read"> <div class="onecol column content-wrapper"> <div class="panel-pane pane-eff-share-blog mobile"> <div class="share-links"> <strong>Share It</strong> <a class="share-twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition&url=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&via=eff&related=eff" target="_blank" title="Share on Twitter"><span class="element-invisible">Share on Twitter</span><i></i></a> <a class="share-facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&title=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook"><span class="element-invisible">Share on Facebook</span><i></i></a> <a class="share-clipboard disabled" href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition" title="Copy to clipboard"><span class="element-invisible">Copy link</span><i></i></a> <div style="clear: both"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="onecol column content-banner"> <div class="panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-banner-graphic"> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/resized_banner/public/banner_library/keys-crossed-pink-starburst_0.png?itok=30i_ix10" width="1200" height="600" alt="" /></div></div></div> </div> </div> <div class="onecol column content-wrapper"> <div class="column main-content"> <div class="panel-pane pane-entity-view pane-node"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node--full node--blog--full"> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><p><span>“</span><a href="https://www.eff.org/wp/privacy-first-better-way-address-online-harms"><span>Privacy First</span></a><span>” is a simple, powerful idea: seeing as so many of today’s technological problems are also </span><i><span>privacy</span></i><span> problems, why don’t we fix privacy first?</span></p> <p><span>Whether you’re worried about kids’ mental health, or tech’s relationship to journalism, or spying by foreign adversaries, or reproductive rights, or AI deepfakes, or nonconsensual pornography, you’re worried about a problem rooted in the primitive, deplorable state of American privacy law.</span></p> <p><span>It’s really impossible to overstate how bad the state of federal privacy law is in America. The last time the USA got a big, muscular, broadly applicable new consumer privacy law, the year was 1988, and </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/tags/video-privacy-protection-act"><span>the law was targeted at video-store clerks who leaked your VHS rental history</span></a><span>.</span></p> <p><span>It’s been a minute. </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/you-should-have-right-sue-companies-violate-your-privacy"><span>America is long overdue for a strong, comprehensive privacy law</span></a><span>. </span></p> <p><span>A new privacy law will help us with all those issues, and more. It would level the playing field between giants with troves of user data and startups who want to build something better. Such a law would keep competition from becoming a race to the bottom on user privacy.</span></p> <p><span>Importantly, a strong privacy law will go a long way to improving </span><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6fb1602d-a08b-4a8c-bac0-047b7d64aba5"><span>the dismal state of competition in America’s ossified and decaying tech sector</span></a><span>.</span></p> <p><span>Take the tech sector’s relationship to the news media. The ad-tech duopoly has </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedi_Blue"><span>rigged the advertising market</span></a><span> and takes $0.51 out of every advertising dollar. Without their vast troves of nonconsensually harvested personal data, Meta and Google wouldn’t be able to misappropriate billions from the publishers. </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/save-news-we-must-ban-surveillance-advertising"><span>Banning surveillance advertising</span></a><span> wouldn’t just be good for our privacy - </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/can-killing-cookies-save-journalism/"><span>it would give publishers leverage to shift those billions</span></a><span> back onto their own balance sheets. </span></p> <p><span>Undoing market concentration will require </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability"><span>interoperability</span></a><span> so that users can move from dominant services to new, innovative rivals without </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs"><span>losing their data and relationships</span></a><span>. The biggest challenge to interoperability? Privacy. Every time a user moves from one service to another, the resulting data-flows create risks for those users and their friends, families, customers and other social connections. Congress knows this, which is why every proposed interoperability law </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/06/access-act-takes-step-towards-more-interoperable-future"><span>incorporates its own little privacy law</span></a><span>. Privacy shouldn’t be an afterthought in a tech regulation. A standalone privacy law would </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/wp/interoperability-and-privacy"><span>give lawmakers the freedom to promote interoperability</span></a><span> without having to work out a new privacy system for each effort. <br /></span></p> <p><span>That’s also true of Right to Repair laws: these laws are routinely opposed by tech monopolists </span><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/qj4ayw/auto-industry-tv-ads-claim-right-to-repair-benefits-sexual-predators"><span>who insist</span></a><span> that giving Americans the right to choose their own repair shop or parts exposes them to privacy risks. It’s true that our devices harbor vast troves of sensitive information - but that doesn’t mean we should let Big Tech (or Big Car) monopolize repair. Instead, we should require </span><i><span>everyone</span></i><span> - both original manufacturers </span><i><span>and</span></i><span> independent repair shops - to honor your privacy.</span></p> <p><span>America’s legal privacy vacuum is largely the result of </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/16/tech-lobbyists-state-privacy-laws-00111363"><span>the commercial surveillance industry’s lobbying power</span></a><span>. Increasing competition in the tech sector won’t just help our privacy: it’ll also weaken tech’s lobbying power, which is a function of the vast profits that can be extracted in the absence of “wasteful competition” and the ease with which a concentrated sector can converge on a common lobbying position. </span></p> <p><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/attachments/798-draft-vertical-merger-guidelines/eff_comments_on_draft_vertical_merger_guidelines_022620.pdf"><span>That’s why EFF has urged the FTC and DOJ to consider privacy impacts when scrutinizing proposed mergers</span></a><span>: not just to protect internet users from the harms of surveillance business models, but to protect democracy from the corrupting influence of surveillance cartels.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/privacy-isnt-dead-far-it"><span>Privacy isn’t dead</span></a><span>. Far from it. For a quarter of a century, would-be tech monopolists have been insisting that we have no privacy and telling us to “</span><a href="https://www.wired.com/1999/01/sun-on-privacy-get-over-it/"><span>get over it</span></a><span>.” </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/facebook-says-apple-too-powerful-theyre-right"><span>The vast majority of the public wants privacy</span></a><span> and will take it if offered, and </span><a href="https://doc.searls.com/2023/11/11/how-is-the-worlds-biggest-boycott-doing/"><i><span>grab</span></i> <i><span>it</span></i><span> if it’s not</span></a><span>. </span></p> <p><span>Whenever someone tells you that privacy is dead, they’re just wishcasting. What they mean is: “If I can convince you privacy is dead, I can make more money at your expense.”</span></p> <p><span>Monopolists want us to believe that their power over our lives is inevitable and unchangeable, just as the surveillance industry banks on convincing you that the fight for privacy was and always will be a lost cause. But we once had a better internet, and we can get a better internet again. The fight for that better internet starts with privacy, a battle that we all want to win.</span></p> <p><br /><br /><br /></p> </div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-issue"> <h2 class="pane-title">Related Issues</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-issue field--type-taxonomy-term-reference field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><a href="/issues/privacy">Privacy</a></div><div class="field__item odd"><a href="/issues/competition">Competition</a></div></div></div> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-eff-share-blog mobile"> <div class="share-links"> <strong>Share It</strong> <a class="share-twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition&url=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&via=eff&related=eff" target="_blank" title="Share on Twitter"><span class="element-invisible">Share on Twitter</span><i></i></a> <a class="share-facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&title=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook"><span class="element-invisible">Share on Facebook</span><i></i></a> <a class="share-clipboard disabled" href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition" title="Copy to clipboard"><span class="element-invisible">Copy link</span><i></i></a> <div style="clear: both"></div> </div> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-effector-signup"> <h2 class="pane-title">Join EFF Lists</h2> <form action="https://supporters.eff.org/subscribe" method="post" class="newsletter-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <h3 class="effector-title">Discover more.</h3> <div class="effector-desc"> Email updates on news, actions, events in your area, and more.</div> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield effector-form-item-email-address"> <label for="edit-email" style="display:none">Email Address</label> <input placeholder="Email Address" type="email" name="email" value="" maxlength="128" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield effector-form-item-postal-code"> <label for="edit-postal-code" style="display:none">Postal Code (optional) </label> <input placeholder="Postal Code (optional)" type="text" name="postal_code" value="" maxlength="64" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield effector-form-item-challenge"> <label for="edit-challenge" style="clear: left; text-transform: none">Anti-spam question: Enter the three-letter abbreviation for <em>Electronic Frontier Foundation</em>:</label> <input type="text" name="challenge" value="" maxlength="3" size="6" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="link-textfield"> <div class="form-item form-type-urlfield form-item-link"> <label for="edit-link">Don't fill out this field (required)</label> <input autocomplete="off" type="url" id="edit-link" name="link" value="" size="20" maxlength="128" class="form-text form-url"> </div> </div> <input type="submit" name="op" value="Submit" class="effector-form-submit" /> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="eff_supporters_library_subscribe_form" /> <div class="thank-you"> Thanks, you're awesome! Please check your email for a confirmation link. </div> <div class="error-message"></div> <div class="broken-message"> Oops something is broken right now, please try again later. </div> </form> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-views-panes pane-blog-related-content-panel-pane-1"> <h2 class="pane-title">Related Updates</h2> <div class="view view-blog-related-content view-id-blog_related_content view-display-id-panel_pane_1 teaser-feed view-dom-id-689ff92569e43eef2c30280e5cdb379e"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/11/2024-us-election-over-eff-ready-whats-next"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/trump-og-1.png?itok=RxxtAQWP" width="500" height="250" alt="" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/cindy-cohn">Cindy Cohn</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | November 6, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/11/2024-us-election-over-eff-ready-whats-next" rel="bookmark">The 2024 U.S. Election is Over. EFF is Ready for What's Next. </a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even">The dust of the U.S. election is settling, and we want you to know that EFF is ready for whatever’s next. Our mission to ensure that technology serves you—rather than silencing, tracking, or oppressing you—does not change. Some of what’s to come will be in uncharted territory. But we have...</div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/11/human-toll-alpr-errors"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/sls-alpr-2023.png?itok=sf9h31ro" width="500" height="250" alt="Automated License Plate Readers" title="Automated License Plate Readers" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/adam-schwartz">Adam Schwartz</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | November 1, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/11/human-toll-alpr-errors" rel="bookmark">The Human Toll of ALPR Errors</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><p><em>This post was written by Gowri Nayar, an EFF legal intern. </em>Imagine driving to get your nails done with your family and all of a sudden, you are pulled over by police officers for allegedly driving a stolen car. You are dragged out of the car and detained at gun...</p></div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/my-phone-listening-me"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/og-listening.png?itok=zOxGsnUl" width="500" height="250" alt="Phone with ears extending out of the sides of the device and the text "Is My Phone Listening to Me?"" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/christian-romero-0">Christian Romero</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 31, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/my-phone-listening-me" rel="bookmark">"Is My Phone Listening To Me?"</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even">Whether you’re just starting to question some of the effects of technology in your life or you’re the designated tech wizard of your family looking for resources to share, Digital Rights Bytes is here to help answer some common questions that may be bugging you about the devices you use.</div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/triumphs-trials-and-tangles-years-california-legislative-session"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/california-state.png?itok=5aONuEkL" width="500" height="250" alt="" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/rindala-alajaji">Rindala Alajaji</a>, <a href="/about/staff/hayley-tsukayama">Hayley Tsukayama</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 30, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/triumphs-trials-and-tangles-years-california-legislative-session" rel="bookmark">Triumphs, Trials, and Tangles From California's 2024 Legislative Session</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><p>California’s 2024 legislative session has officially adjourned, and it’s time to reflect on the wins and losses that have shaped Californians’ digital rights landscape this year.EFF monitored nearly 100 bills in the state this session alone, addressing a broad range of issues related to privacy, free speech, and innovation. These...</p></div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/preemption-playbook-big-techs-blueprint-comes-straight-big-tobacco"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/capitol-2.jpg?itok=FbDVAFSj" width="500" height="250" alt="" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/rindala-alajaji">Rindala Alajaji</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 16, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/preemption-playbook-big-techs-blueprint-comes-straight-big-tobacco" rel="bookmark">Preemption Playbook: Big Tech’s Blueprint Comes Straight from Big Tobacco</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><p>Big Tech is borrowing a page from Big Tobacco's playbook to wage war on your privacy,<a href="https://www.techpolicy.press/big-tech-is-trying-to-burn-privacy-to-the-ground-and-theyre-using-big-tobaccos-strategy-to-do-it/"> according to</a> Jake Snow of the ACLU of Northern California. We agree. In the 1990s, the tobacco industry attempted to use federal law to override a broad swath of existing state laws <i>and</i>...</p></div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-6 views-row-even"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/eff-new-york-age-verification-threatens-everyones-speech-and-privacy"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/congress-action_0.jpg?itok=lnTgrKdl" width="500" height="250" alt="Congress + Action" title="Congress + Action" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/hayley-tsukayama">Hayley Tsukayama</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 15, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/eff-new-york-age-verification-threatens-everyones-speech-and-privacy" rel="bookmark">EFF to New York: Age Verification Threatens Everyone's Speech and Privacy</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><p>Young people have a right to speak and access information online. Legislatures should remember that protecting kids' online safety shouldn't require sweeping online surveillance and censorship.EFF reminded the New York Attorney General of this important fact in comments responding to the state's recently passed <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S7694/amendment/A">Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation</a> (SAFE)...</p></div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-7 views-row-odd"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/new-ipandetec-report-shows-panamas-isps-still-lag-protecting-user-data"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/qttd-banner_0.png?itok=esOWGKBh" width="500" height="250" alt="¿Quién defiende tus datos?" title="¿Quién defiende tus datos?" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/karen-gullo">Karen Gullo</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 10, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/new-ipandetec-report-shows-panamas-isps-still-lag-protecting-user-data" rel="bookmark">New IPANDETEC Report Shows Panama’s ISPs Still Lag in Protecting User Data </a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even">Telecom and internet service providers in Panama are entrusted with the personal data of millions of users. Digital rights organization IPANDETEC has evaluated how well companies have lived up to their responsibilities in ¿Quien Defiende Tus Datos? (“Who Defends Your Data?”) reports.</div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-8 views-row-even"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/ftc-findings-commercial-surveillance-can-lead-better-alternatives"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/interoperable-2.png?itok=vs7JkoxD" width="500" height="250" alt="Interoperability visualized with various widgets connecting to each other." /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by <a href="/about/staff/william-budington">Bill Budington</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 8, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/ftc-findings-commercial-surveillance-can-lead-better-alternatives" rel="bookmark">FTC Findings on Commercial Surveillance Can Lead to Better Alternatives</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even">The significance of the FTC staff report comes not only from the abuses they have meticulously documented, but the policy and technological possibilities that can follow from the willingness to embrace alternatives.</div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-9 views-row-odd"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail" style="background: #b2e2f9"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/germany-rushes-expand-biometric-surveillance"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/biometrics-collection.png?itok=1BgkkXfE" width="500" height="250" alt="" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by Svea Windwehr</span> <span class="node-date"> | October 7, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/10/germany-rushes-expand-biometric-surveillance" rel="bookmark">Germany Rushes to Expand Biometric Surveillance </a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even">Germany is a leader in privacy and data protection, with many Germans being particularly sensitive to the processing of their personal data – owing to the country’s totalitarian history and the role of surveillance in both Nazi Germany and East Germany.</div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-10 views-row-even views-row-last"> <article role="article" class="node node--blog node--promoted node-teaser node--teaser node--blog--teaser"> <header> <div class="field field--name-field-banner-graphic field--type-image field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><div class="teaser-thumbnail"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/09/how-stop-advertisers-tracking-your-teen-across-internet"><img src="https://www.eff.org/files/styles/teaser/public/banner_library/mobile-privacy.png?itok=wpxjiA9o" width="500" height="250" alt="" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="node-content-type-byline blog"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Deeplinks Blog</a> <span class="node-author"> by Guest Author, <a href="/about/staff/erica-portnoy">Erica Portnoy</a></span> <span class="node-date"> | October 1, 2024</span> </div> <h3 class="node__title"><a href="/deeplinks/2024/09/how-stop-advertisers-tracking-your-teen-across-internet" rel="bookmark">How to Stop Advertisers From Tracking Your Teen Across the Internet</a></h3> </header> <div class="node__content"> <div class="eff-translation-links"></div><div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even">When children turn 13, they age out of the data protections provided by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Then, they become targets for data collection from data brokers that collect their information from social media apps, shopping history, location tracking services, and more.</div></div></div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="column side-content"> <div class="panel-pane pane-sidebar-content"> <div class="pane-effector-signup"><form action="https://supporters.eff.org/subscribe" method="post" class="newsletter-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <h3 class="effector-title">Discover more.</h3> <div class="effector-desc">Email updates on news, actions, events in your area, and more.</div> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield effector-form-item-email-address"> <label for="edit-email" style="display:none">Email Address</label> <input placeholder="Email Address" type="email" name="email" value="" maxlength="128" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield effector-form-item-postal-code"> <label for="edit-postal-code" style="display:none">Postal Code (optional) </label> <input placeholder="Postal Code (optional)" type="text" name="postal_code" value="" maxlength="64" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield effector-form-item-challenge"> <label for="edit-challenge" style="clear: left; text-transform: none">Anti-spam question: Enter the three-letter abbreviation for <em>Electronic Frontier Foundation</em>:</label> <input type="text" name="challenge" value="" maxlength="3" size="6" class="form-text" /> </div> <div class="link-textfield"> <div class="form-item form-type-urlfield form-item-link"> <label for="edit-link">Don't fill out this field (required)</label> <input autocomplete="off" type="url" id="edit-link" name="link" value="" size="20" maxlength="128" class="form-text form-url"> </div> </div> <input type="submit" name="op" value="Submit" class="effector-form-submit" /> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="eff_supporters_library_subscribe_form" /> <div class="thank-you"> Thanks, you're awesome! Please check your email for a confirmation link. </div> <div class="error-message"></div> <div class="broken-message"> Oops something is broken right now, please try again later. </div> </form> </div><div class="pane-eff-share-blog desktop"><div class="share-links"> <strong>Share It</strong> <a class="share-twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition&url=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&via=eff&related=eff" target="_blank" title="Share on Twitter"><span class="element-invisible">Share on Twitter</span><i></i></a> <a class="share-facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&title=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook"><span class="element-invisible">Share on Facebook</span><i></i></a> <a class="share-clipboard disabled" href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition" title="Copy to clipboard"><span class="element-invisible">Copy link</span><i></i></a> <div style="clear: both"></div> </div> </div><div class="pane-node-field-issue"><h2>Related Issues</h2><div class="field__item"><a href="/issues/privacy">Privacy</a></div><div class="field__item"><a href="/issues/competition">Competition</a></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="onecol column content-footer"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clear-block"></div> </div> <p class="faq-toc"><a href="#main-content">Back to top</a></p> </div> <div id="footer"> <div class="panel-pane pane-footer-logo"> <a href="https://www.eff.org"><img src="https://www.eff.org/sites/all/modules/custom/eff_library/images/eff-logo-1color-blue.svg" alt="EFF Home" /></a> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-menu-tree pane-menu-footer-social-links"> <h2 class="pane-title">Follow EFF:</h2> <div class="menu-block-wrapper menu-block-ctools-menu-footer-social-links-1 menu-name-menu-footer-social-links parent-mlid-0 menu-level-1"> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf menu-mlid-13408"><a href="https://twitter.com/eff" title="EFF on X">x</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-13409"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/eff" title="EFF on facebook">facebook</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-13410"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/efforg/" title="EFF on Instagram">instagram</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-13411"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/efforg" title="EFF on YouTube">youtube</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-13412"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/electronicfrontierfoundation">flicker</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-16445"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/EFF" title="">linkedin</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-16459"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eff" title="" rel="me">mastodon</a></li> <li class="leaf menu-mlid-16460"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@efforg" title="">tiktok</a></li> <li class="last leaf menu-mlid-16475"><a href="https://www.threads.net/@efforg" title="">threads</a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-custom pane-1"> <p>Check out our 4-star rating on <a href="https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/043091431" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Charity Navigator</a>.</p> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-contact-footer-menu"> <h2 class="pane-title">Contact</h2> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/about/contact">General</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/pages/legal-assistance">Legal</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/security">Security</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/contact">Membership</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/press/contact">Press</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-about-footer-menu"> <h2 class="pane-title">About</h2> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/event" title="">Calendar</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/opportunities/volunteer" title="">Volunteer</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/victories" title="">Victories</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/history" title="">History</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/opportunities/interns" title="">Internships</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs?clientkey=28620672D234BF368306CEB4A2746667" title="">Jobs</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/about/staff" title="">Staff</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/pages/effs-diversity-statement" title="">Diversity & Inclusion</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-footer-menu-issues"> <h2 class="pane-title">Issues</h2> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/issues/free-speech">Free Speech</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/privacy">Privacy</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/innovation">Creativity & Innovation</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/transparency">Transparency</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/issues/international">International</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/issues/security">Security</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-footer-updates-menu"> <h2 class="pane-title">Updates</h2> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/updates?type=blog">Blog</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=press_release">Press Releases</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=event">Events</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/cases" title="">Legal Cases</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/updates?type=whitepaper">Whitepapers</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://www.eff.org/effector" title="">EFFector Newsletter</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-footer-press-menu"> <h2 class="pane-title">Press</h2> <ul class="menu"><li class="first last leaf"><a href="/press/contact">Press Contact</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-footer-donate-menu"> <h2 class="pane-title">Donate</h2> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/donate-df" title="">Join or Renew Membership Online</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/donate-df" title="">One-Time Donation Online</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/givingsociety" title="">Giving Societies</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://shop.eff.org">Shop</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/helpout">Other Ways to Give</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="footer-bottom"> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-menu-menu-footer-bottom"> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="/copyright">Copyright (CC BY)</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/pages/trademark-and-brand-usage-policy" title="Trademark and Brand Usage Policy">Trademark</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="/policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="/thanks">Thanks</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <a href="/librejs/jslicense" rel="jslicense" style="display: none">JavaScript license information</a><div id="piwik-noscript"></div><noscript><img style="position: absolute" src="https://anon-stats.eff.org/js/?idsite=1&rec=1&url=https%3A//www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/privacy-first-and-competition&action_name=Privacy%20First%20and%20Competition%20%7C%20Electronic%20Frontier%20Foundation&dimension2=blog&dimension3=109356&cvar=%7B%221%22%3A%5B%22author%22%2C%22590%22%5D%7D" width="0" height="0" alt="" /></noscript> <script src="https://www.eff.org/files/js/js_lMrfy51aI91p2ZAdgpEs4r3pZi-E809QDyWJpbMpnTw.js"></script> </body> </html>