Promoting And Protecting Digital Rights Since 1994
EFA is an independent non-profit association that relies on membership subscriptions and donations. If you’re concerned about digital rights in Australia, please join or donate today.
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Copyright fight heating up in Australia
There’s little sign that the global copyright war will let up any time soon. Wherever you go, the content industries are working hard to secure stronger “protections” for intellectual property and tougher penalties against those who infringe against these protections. Given the forces they can bring to bear – an army of lobbyists and an ocean of cash – it’s not surprising that industry has won many of these battles.…
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ICANN San Francisco meeting
ICANN’s San Francisco meeting is only just officially beginning, as I write Vint Cerf has just finished his speech at the welcoming ceremony, but already the process is in full swing, with working groups, review teams and councils meeting over the last two days to get started on the weeks work. Running the domain name system, and IP number allocation, is a complicated business, and the ICANN multi-stakeholder model still…
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EFA Submission to the Senate Inquiry on Australia's Film, Literature and other media classification scheme
EFA has consistently said that the Australian classification scheme never suited the Internet, and in response to the many terms of reference of this Inquiry, have focused in our submission on the need for fundamental reform of the Australian mandatory classification scheme.
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iiTrial: Federal Court denies AFACT appeal
The decision handed down today by the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia in the “iiNet Appeal” ( Roadshow Films Pty Limited v iiNet Limited [2011] FCAFC 23 (24 February 2011) – online here) is very important in securing the rights of internet users to due process in relation to allegations of copyright infringement and also in protecting Internet Service Providers (including Government departments, Schools, Universities and coffee…
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EFA urges skepticism on copyright claims
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) today urged skepticism about claims that piracy is costing thousands of jobs in Australia. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) yesterday released a study,”Economic consequences of movie piracy”, purporting to show that movie downloading is costing the economy over a billion dollars each year. “We question many of the assumptions underlying this report,” said EFA Chair Colin Jacobs. “The industry has a habit of crying…
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AFACT copyright study warrants skepticism
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) yesterday released a report entitled “Economic consequences of movie piracy“, which purports to show that illegal downloading is costing the Australian economy $1.37 billion every year. That is an alarming sum – or rather it would be, if we could take it at face value. The copyright industry is well known for offering up gargantuan figures that don’t hold up under real scrutiny.…
Help fight for our digital rights
What We Do
Policy
We actively monitor a number of policy areas and specific issues. The topics below provide a detailed view of EFA’s policy positions.
Copyright
Australia’s copyright laws are outdated, inflexible and not fit for the digital age. As such, EFA is a long-standing supporter of reform of Australia’s Copyright Act.
Privacy & Security
Privacy is fundamentally about consent and control over access to information, and goes hand-in-hand with security. Privacy is a human right.
Censorship
Adults should be able to make their own informed decisions about what content they create and consume.
Encryption
Access to encryption technologies is vital for individuals and groups to be able to safeguard the security and privacy of their information.
Internet Safety
Surveillance is not safety. Safety for whom, against what? This complex problem is more likely to be exacerbated, rather than solved, by measures that allow for unaccountable surveillance and the undermining of communications security.
Surveillance
EFA is committed to ensuring that Australian’s home life is not subject to arbitrary interference.