You’ve reached the activism portion of today’s show. Now that you’re informed and angry, here’s what you can do about it. Today’s activism: Jailbreak Your Phone For Security.

Jailbreaking phones used to be a way to switch providers without having to buy a new device. iPhones famously were only available on certain networks, but it was an industry-wide issue. Once the most visible evil corporate profit motive was alleviated as providers started letting you bring your old device to a new network, most of us forgot about or didn’t care whether or not jailbreaking was illegal under copyright law.

But the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s latest campaign makes clear that the illegality of jailbreaking is a security prohibiting nuisance. Modifying the software on your phones and tablets can be a way to install security fixes making data collection more difficult or impossible. With the ongoing NSA Spying programs and whole warehouses being built to house our data “just in case” the government feels the need to mine it later, securing our ability to jailbreak is important.

The “Take Action” tab at EFF.org has a link to their “Jailbreaking is Not a Crime” petition which sends a letter to the Copyright Office and the Librarian of Congress asking them to renew the exemption allowing us to legally modify our mobile devices. Join the more than 20,000 who have added their names already to preserve the right to protect ourselves. Regaining rights once they’re lost — as made clear by the fight to repeal all the provisions of the Patriot Act — can be a nearly impossible battle. Let’s do what we can to hang on to the privacy we still have.

Also, a quick reminder that EFF’s website has a whole set of security tutorials to protect yourself on all your devices and networks. They can help you do everything from selecting good passwords to installing software to learning how to safely use social media.

TAKE ACTION:

SIGN the EEF’s petition: Jailbreaking is Not a Crime

Additional Activism/Resources:

Take advantage of EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense tools.

Sources/further reading:

"EFF General Counsel Takes On NSA Spying”

"Human Rights Watch Sues DEA Over Bulk Collection of Americans’ Telephone Records”

"How to Jailbreak Your iPhone: The Always Up-to-Date Guide [iOS 8.1]”

"Surveillance Techniques: How Your Data Becomes Our Data”

Hear the segment in context:

Episode #912 "Poking the watchful eye (NSA Spying) "

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich