ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a
nonprofit organization that seeks to increase the
understanding of civil liberties and other legal
issues in cyberspace, or what it calls the elec-
tronic frontier. Concerned with preserving the
principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution
and BILL OF RIGHTS, EFF defends the rights of
computer users, network users, and members of
the online community.
Widely recognized for its expertise in legal
matters related to computer networks and elec-
tronic media, EFF has become a leading resource
for those seeking to better understand the com-
plex issues associated with new communications
technology. As part of its civil liberties mission,
EFF seeks to ensure that the creators of elec-
tronic communications have the same political
freedoms as the creators of newspapers, books,
journals, and other traditional media.
EFF was founded on July 10, 1990, by
Mitchell D. Kapor, the founder of Lotus Devel-
opment Corporation and ON Technology, and
John Perry Barlow, a writer and lyricist. Kapor
and Barlow formed the organization after
becoming alarmed by what they saw as mis-
guided and unconstitutional actions by state
and federal law enforcement officials against
individual computer users. Initial funding for
EFF came from Kapor, Steve Wozniak, co-
founder of Apple Computer, and other com-
puter and technology entrepreneurs.
Among EFF’s first efforts were the defense of
several hackers, or computer enthusiasts, in
cases brought by the government. EFF has con-
tinued to sponsor lawsuits when it has felt that
individuals’ online civil liberties have been vio-
lated. EFF also submits advisory reports, called
AMICUS CURIAE briefs, to courts and arranges
for the charitable donation of attorneys’ services
for individuals who cannot afford their own
legal counsel.
As part of its effort to promote laws that bet-
ter accommodate new technology, EFF monitors
legislation and lobbies for changes in the law. It
also creates and distributes legal analyses to
companies, utilities, governments, and other
organizations, and it maintains a free telephone
hotline for use by those in the online commu-
nity who have questions regarding their legal
rights. EFF runs a speakers’ bureau, which dis-
seminates the organization’s views to law
enforcement organizations, attorneys’ associa-
tions, universities, and other groups.
EFF promotes improved intellectual prop-
erty laws, including patent and COPYRIGHT
laws, for electronic media. It also encourages the
creation of policies that will promote the distri-
bution of electronic information by public and
private providers. EFF sponsors summits and
working groups that bring together people from
business, government, education, and nonprofit
organizations.
Specific proposals advanced by EFF include
a “common carriage” approach to free speech on
electronic networks. Under a common-carrier
scheme, network providers must carry all
speech, regardless of its content, but are not
liable for the actions of users. EFF has called for
an electronic freedom-of-information act to
allow broader public access to information, and
it has set forth specific proposals that promote
