During a national crisis like the one we’re facing now, lawmakers must make critical decisions on a number of topics, which can define our future for decades to come. EFF is fighting to make sure that the policy changes we make in this moment are in service of a just, equitable, and healthy future for all of us.
Here are two things you can do to make sure lawmakers to do the right thing in California.
First, join us to learn about how face surveillance technology vendors are using this moment to promote surveillance products, even when they do more harm than good, in ways that endanger the very Californians most vulnerable to our current public health crisis.
Assemblymember Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) is pushing a bill through the California State legislature that would promote the expansion of unnecessary and harmful face surveillance technology in the midst of this pandemic. We aim to stop it. On May 21, we’re co-hosting an online event discussing the risks presented by face surveillance, and simple actions you can take to protect your community and loved ones:
The Path to Privacy: Stopping Face Surveillance in California
Moderator: Hayley Tsukayama
Panelists:
Jennifer Jones, ACLU of Northern California
Kaitlin Jackson, Bronx Defenders
Nathan “nash” Sheard, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Myaisha Hayes, MediaJustice
Robert Sanger, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
When:
This event will be live-streamed via Twitch where you can chat and ask questions. It will also be streaming on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. (For Twitch’s Privacy Policy, see here.) We hope to see you there.
Second, tell your lawmakers that every Californian deserves access to high-speed broadband networks. In this moment of crisis, the cracks in our state’s broadband infrastructure are more apparent than ever as social distancing guidelines have increased the pressure on our Internet connections for keeping in touch with family and friends, schoolwork, and work for many Californians.
EFF is sponsoring a bill, authored by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) that would improve the state’s Internet infrastructure, and make strides to close the digital divide permanently – especially in areas that have been neglected by traditional Internet service providers, such as rural communities and low-income urban neighborhoods.
If you agree that California should have universal access to high-speed broadband,take action now to tell your senator to support this critical bill ahead of its May 26 hearing.
Support Fiber for All in California
We’ll get through this crisis by investing in our communities, our social safety ne