When the U.S. Postal Service quietly began hunting for political dissenters on the internet, it didn’t look like the sort of covert operation that usually makes headlines. It was a low‑profile program called iCOP—Internet Covert Operations Program—designed to sift through social media posts and flag planned protests across the political spectrum. The program’s existence was only brought to public light by a 2021 Yahoo News expose, after which the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit to force the USPS to disclose the scope of its surveillance. The agency’s own FOIA responses finally revealed the full picture, showing that iCOP was routinely monitoring every side of the political divide with little to no oversight or legal justification. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|USPS used iCOP to surveil protests online with minimal oversight}}

How iCOP Operated

iCOP was not a one‑off experiment; it was a systematic program that combed through public social‑media feeds, looking for keywords, hashtags, and organizational chatter that could signal an upcoming protest. The USPS would then generate bulletins that summarized the event’s purpose, location, and, occasionally, any perceived threat of violence. These bulletins were circulated internally among postal officials and, in some cases, shared with other federal agencies. The lack of a formal review process meant that the program could operate almost like a private investigator, but with the power of a federal postal workforce behind it. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|iCOP sifted through social media posts and generated bulletins}}

FOIA, Delays, and the Lost Emails

Efforts to obtain records about iCOP ran into a wall of bureaucratic inertia. Years of delays and technical failures caused the USPS to lose access to a trove of emails that discussed the program’s inner workings. It wasn’t until 2026 that the agency finally complied with FOIA requests and released the documents to the EFF and other requesters. Those records revealed details that the USPS had previously kept hidden, including the sheer volume of bulletins and the breadth of political content monitored. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|USPS released records after FOIA delays and lost emails}}

Bulletins Cover Every Side of the Political Spectrum

The bulletins from iCOP were astonishingly inclusive in their coverage. They catalogued a “Million MAGA March,” a gun‑rights advocacy rally, a nationwide “Save the Post Office Saturday” protest, and even planned demonstrations at the former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s home in Washington, D.C. Each bulletin contained a dry summary of the event, a list of hashtags, and a brief note about whether the event had any potential for violence, often citing “online inflammatory material” as a risk factor. The breadth of these bulletins shows that the USPS did not limit its surveillance to one political ideology; it monitored every protest it could find. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|Bulletins covered protests from all sides of the political spectrum}}

The Question of Violence and the “Online Inflammatory Material” Clause

One of the most disturbing aspects of the bulletins is the way they framed potential violence. In at least one bulletin, the USPS noted that a protest scheduled for March 20, 2021, had “online inflammatory material” circulating, which the agency interpreted as a threat of violence. However, the bulletins never provided concrete evidence of a specific threat or a credible source that linked the protest to a violent outcome. The phrase “online inflammatory material” was used almost as a catch‑all term, allowing the USPS to label any contentious post as a potential danger without substantive proof. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|Bulletins referenced “online inflammatory material” to imply potential violence}}

EFF’s 2021 Lawsuit and Yahoo’s Disclosure

The EFF’s legal action began after Yahoo News published a story in 2021 exposing iCOP’s existence. The lawsuit forced the USPS to admit that it had been monitoring First Amendment activities, a claim the agency had previously denied. The suit also highlighted that there was no clear legal authority or oversight governing the program’s operations. The court’s ruling required the USPS to disclose a wide array of emails and bulletins, which were only made public through FOIA after years of delays. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|EFF lawsuit forced USPS disclosure after Yahoo’s 2021 expose}}

Why This Matters for Free Speech

The USPS is a federal agency tasked with delivering mail, not policing political expression. By turning its vast network into a surveillance apparatus, it blurred the line between public service and private enforcement. The sheer scale of the data collection—spanning every major protest—raises alarming questions about the potential for a chilling effect on free speech. If citizens know that their online posts about a future protest could be flagged by a government program, they may self‑censor to avoid falling under a vague “inflammatory” label. This is a classic example of how surveillance can undermine the very rights it claims to protect. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|Surveillance of protests threatens free speech}}

USPS’s Justification Versus EFF’s Findings

The USPS defended iCOP as a tool to “monitor and report” on protest activities, implying a neutral, protective role. EFF’s analysis, however, showed that the program operated without oversight, with no clear legal basis, and that it was used to pre‑emptively label dissent as dangerous. The discrepancy between the agency’s narrative and the documented reality is not just a matter of semantics; it is a sign of a deeper institutional failure to respect constitutional limits. The lack of a formal review process meant that anyone with enough administrative rank could create a bulletin and potentially influence law‑enforcement priorities. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|USPS justified iCOP as neutral, but was lacking oversight}}

What Comes Next?

The USPS’s release of the iCOP records is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a federal surveillance program. But the damage is already done. The program’s existence, coupled with the vague language used to flag potential violence, gives law‑enforcement agencies ample ground to push back against dissent. The next step must be robust oversight: independent audits, clear legal mandates, and transparent reporting. Without these safeguards, the USPS—and potentially other federal agencies—can continue to weaponize ordinary citizen data under the guise of public safety. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|Need for oversight and transparency}}

Conclusion: A Stark Warning

The iCOP program shows that a federal agency can quietly turn its widespread infrastructure into a surveillance tool that targets civic engagement. The lack of oversight, the vague rationale for labeling protests as violent, and the sheer breadth of political coverage all point to a systemic threat to First Amendment rights. As citizens, we must demand transparency and accountability from those who claim to protect us. The USPS’s covert surveillance of protests is not an isolated incident; it is a warning that institutional power can slip into the shadows when unchecked. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/postal-service-surveilled-protest-activities-online-little-rules-oversight|iCOP is a warning of unchecked institutional power}}

Every time a disruptive technology threatens legacy gatekeepers, the corporate playbook remains identical: run straight to the federal bench, wrap monopolistic rent-seeking in righteous victimhood, and demand that the state erect insurmountable tollbooths across the public square. We are witnessing this exact maneuver unfold in the legal war over generative artificial intelligence. Major legacy publishers, media conglomerates, and institutional copyright holders have lined up federal lawsuits against AI developers, framing the entire dispute as a simple David-and-Goliath showdown between humble starving creators and rapacious Silicon Valley giants {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/rewriting-copyright-law-generative-ai-would-hurt-everyone|EFF documented the federal lawsuit In re OpenAI over generative AI training datasets}}.

Do not buy the narrative. This battle is not about protecting independent writers working out of their garages or ensuring working-class musicians get paid pennies on streaming platforms. It is about whether concentrated corporate cartels can rewrite American copyright doctrine to choke out open-source development, outlaw computational analysis, and turn the fair use doctrine into a gated luxury good that only trillion-dollar balance sheets can afford. When the Electronic Frontier Foundation stepped into the consolidated federal litigation known as In re OpenAI with an amicus brief, they were not running defense for Big Tech boardrooms; they were sounding the alarm for the rest of us {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/rewriting-copyright-law-generative-ai-would-hurt-everyone|EFF confirmed its amicus brief filing warning about narrowing fair use}}.

The Bedrock of Digital Liberty: Why Fair Use Matters

To understand what is actually at stake, we have to look past the hysteria surrounding artificial intelligence and examine the legal foundation being targeted. The fair use doctrine is not some obscure statutory loophole cooked up by tech lobbyists. It is the vital safety valve embedded within copyright law that prevents state-granted monopoly privileges from completely swallowing the First Amendment. Fair use is what allows an investigative reporter to quote leaked corporate memos, a political satirist to parody a corrupt politician’s campaign speech, a teacher to distribute excerpts of historical texts, and a researcher to index vast libraries of published science without asking permission from a syndicate of corporate lawyers.

For decades, federal courts have consistently recognized that computational analysis—ingesting, indexing, and processing lawfully accessible text and data to create entirely new, non-infringing insights or transformative outputs—falls squarely within fair use {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/rewriting-copyright-law-generative-ai-would-hurt-everyone|Legal precedent supports fair use for transformative computational analysis of public texts}}. Ingesting text to analyze patterns, build language models, and generate new expression is the digital equivalent of reading every book in a public library, taking notes on syntax and structure, and writing something original. The plaintiffs in In re OpenAI are demanding that courts dismantle this standard, arguing that merely analyzing copyrighted expression to train mathematical weights requires upfront commercial licenses for every word digested {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/rewriting-copyright-law-generative-ai-would-hurt-everyone|EFF noted plaintiffs argue training models on copyrighted work remains unfair even when outputs are transformative}}.

The Cartel Playbook: Building an Unbeatable Moat

Look at the secondary incentives here through a ruthless free-market lens. If legacy publishers succeed in gutting fair use and mandating that every single training token requires a negotiated license, who actually wins? It will not be the independent author, the freelance artist, or the family trying to build a self-reliant digital business. The only entities capable of surviving that legal regime will be the entrenched tech behemoths who already possess billions in free cash flow to buy up exclusive, closed-door licensing agreements with mega-publishers.

In practice, rewriting copyright law will not kill generative AI; it will merely nationalize and centralize it into a closed corporate oligopoly. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Meta will cut private licensing checks to massive media conglomerates, while the garage engineer, the decentralized open-source developer, and the university research lab running localized models on open hardware will be litigated out of existence. It is classic regulatory capture disguised as creator advocacy. Big Media gets a perpetual rent-collection pipeline, Big Tech gets an impenetrable regulatory moat, and the decentralized open-source ecosystem gets starved of oxygen.

The Devastating Collateral Damage on Free Speech and Research

The broader tragedy of this legal offensive is that shrinking fair use will ripple far beyond machine learning. When you dismantle the legal standard that protects automated text ingestion, you pull the rug out from under the entire digital research infrastructure. As the EFF rightly highlighted in their filing, narrowing fair use will severely handicap public-interest investigative journalism, biomedical research, accessibility software for disabled individuals, and privacy-preserving data tools {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/rewriting-copyright-law-generative-ai-would-hurt-everyone|EFF analysis detailed risks to researchers, journalists, and privacy software}}.

Consider the independent investigative journalist scraping thousands of public records, corporate filings, and local government press releases to expose municipal corruption. If automated scraping and data ingestion are treated as prima facie copyright infringement whenever proprietary text is processed, hard-hitting watchdog reporting becomes an existential legal liability. Consider open-source medical researchers mining millions of academic whitepapers to identify novel chemical compounds or drug interactions. Imposing licensing tollbooths on every scanned abstract guarantees that life-saving research remains the exclusive domain of pharmaceutical mega-corps with multi-million-dollar legal departments.

State Monopolies vs. Real Property Rights

As libertarians and constitutionalists, we must never confuse authentic private property rights with government-granted monopoly privileges. Real property rights exist in scarce, tangible goods—your land, your home, your physical tools, and your capital. Copyright, by contrast, is an artificial statutory monopoly created by the state to promote the public progress of science and useful arts. It was never intended to grant copyright holders absolute, perpetual veto power over the human mind’s ability to study, deconstruct, and learn from ideas circulating in the public square.

When you read a book, absorb its stylistic patterns, and write your own novel inspired by those mechanics, you have committed no theft. You have exercised human cognition. Demanding that computers be legally prohibited from doing the exact same computational learning without paying tributary fees to a legacy publishing cartel is an assault on intellectual freedom. It turns the entire internet into a private pay-per-view preserve controlled by a handful of corporate conglomerates.

Holding Power Accountable Without Torpedoing Open Innovation

None of this means Silicon Valley monopolists should be immune from scrutiny. Big Tech companies routinely engage in predatory surveillance, censor dissident political speech, and leverage state subsidies to crush decentralized alternatives. When AI systems directly output verbatim copies of copyrighted material without authorization, existing copyright laws already provide clear, enforceable remedies for direct infringement.

Holding tech giants accountable for actual harms, privacy violations, or direct plagiarism is entirely distinct from blowing up the core doctrine of fair use for all 330 million Americans. We cannot burn down the digital commons simply to punish OpenAI. The solution to corporate centralization is not to grant legacy media cartels a new monopoly racket; the solution is radical decentralization, open-source competition, and defending the constitutional boundaries of fair use against all institutional predators.

Co‑Curating Digital Freedom: How Parents Can Take the Lead This Digital Parenting Week

When the internet becomes a playground and a battlefield, families need a plan that keeps privacy, sanity, and freedom intact. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has just released a set of “Tech Tips for Parents this Digital Parenting Week” that urges households to co‑create a digital safety plan rather than rely on corporate gatekeepers. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|EFF releases family‑friendly digital safety guide}}.

What’s on the table? The guide is simple: start with conversation. Talk about favorite apps, games, and social media platforms. By inviting kids to explain why they love Roblox or TikTok, parents turn the digital space into a joint conversation rather than a lecture hall. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide recommends open dialogue about favorite platforms}}.

During that dialogue, ask three hard questions that frame the entire safety plan: (1) What do we want to protect? (2) Who do we want to protect it from? (3) How bad are the consequences if we fail? The first question is often a family’s most neglected guard: privacy. The second is a reminder that threats come from strangers, bots, and even well‑meaning acquaintances. The third forces a reality check— losing money to a scam, an uncomfortable chat with a stranger, or a late‑night gaming session that bleeds into a child’s sleep schedule. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide lists key protective questions}}.

In practice, this translates into a living document you and your kids can update. It’s not a legal contract with a tech company, it’s a conversation that turns into a list of do’s and don’ts. For instance, you might decide that the family’s privacy rule is “no personal data on public gaming servers.” This rule is not a blanket ban— it’s a boundary you all agree on. When the kid says, “I want to share my birthday on Snapchat,” you can ask, “What do you think the consequences are?” and make a joint decision. The point is to keep the family in control, not to hand over your data to a corporate algorithm. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide encourages co‑creation of safety rules}}.

Why is this so important in the age of doxxing, grooming, and cyberbullying? Because the internet’s power is not just in its services but in the data streams that feed advertisers, governments, and hostile actors. The EFF warns that every click, every game purchase, and every photo upload feeds a machine that can be weaponized. Parents who simply mute or block are playing a short‑sighted game of “filtering” rather than “protecting.” By designing a family plan, you lift the burden from a single parent and create a system that adapts to new threats without waiting for a corporate patch. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|EFF highlights dangers of data harvesting}}.

Another cornerstone of the guide is the idea that security should be a shared responsibility, not a top‑down mandate. It suggests using secure messaging apps like Signal instead of the default platform that comes pre‑installed on every phone. Secure messaging is not a luxury; it is a public good that keeps conversations out of the hands of advertisers and state snoops. Switching to Signal is a small technical tweak that can make a huge difference in privacy. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide recommends secure messaging as a standard practice}}.

But the guide also knows that technology is only an enabler, not a silver bullet. It calls for setting clear boundaries about what is worth protecting. For example, you might decide that spending money on in‑game purchases is fair game, but buying a new virtual costume for a game that already uses your child’s real name is a no‑no. The family can then decide whether the cost of a virtual item is justified versus the potential risk of oversharing personal details. In this way, families do not become passive consumers of corporate marketing funnels. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide stresses clear boundaries on spending and privacy}}.

One of the most unsettling aspects of modern online culture is the idea that privacy is negotiable. The EFF’s guide encourages parents to ask, “How likely are we to need to protect a child’s online experience because of our own habits?” This is a sobering reminder that parents are not isolated from the digital ecosystem. If a parent shares a location on a public platform, that data can be scraped and used in targeted political ads or even criminal investigations. By reflecting on this question, families realize that protection starts at home— in the way they talk, the apps they use, and the data they share. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide urges self‑reflection on parental habits}}.

Beyond the technical and the tactical, the guide is a political statement. It says that the only legitimate authority over a child’s digital life should be the family, not a corporation or a state. That is why the EFF frames Digital Parenting Week as a rallying cry for parents to reclaim agency. In a world where “privacy” is a buzzword sold by advertisers and “security” is a commodity, the family’s collective voice has a unique power. It can demand that tech companies respect boundaries, or it can choose to stay off the platform entirely. The choice is yours. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|EFF positions Digital Parenting Week as a family‑centric movement}}.

So how do you get started? Pick a low‑stakes platform and run a test conversation. Imagine you’re at a family dinner, but the topic is “Which game is most fun?” It’s a neutral entry point that can quickly evolve into deeper territory. Ask your child, “What would you do if a stranger asked you to share your address?” That opens a dialogue that can lead to a rule: “Never share personal details with strangers.” The family can then create a chart or a visual checklist that lives on the fridge— a tangible reminder that keeps the conversation alive. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide advises incremental conversations and visual aids}}.

Another practical tip: schedule a monthly review. At the end of each month, sit together and ask, “Did we run into any new threats?” or “Did we notice any new apps that we want to add to our list?” By treating the safety plan as a living document, families avoid becoming complacent. The digital landscape changes faster than any corporate policy, but a family can pivot in real time. This is an empowering approach that turns the parents from passive recipients of corporate mandates into active architects of safety. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide recommends regular reviews of safety protocols}}.

It’s not enough to talk about privacy in isolation; you must also address the mental health aspect. The guide reminds parents that online harassment, cyberbullying, and the constant pressure to perform can take a toll on a child’s self‑esteem. Encouraging open conversation about feelings and feelings about online content is a protective layer that no algorithm can replace. When a child feels safe talking about a harassing comment, they are more likely to seek help before it spirals into depression or self‑harm. Families that foster trust can detect early warning signs, a strategy that is far more effective than relying on platform moderation. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|EFF stresses mental health considerations}}.

Digital parenting is a rebellion against the status quo. The EFF’s guidance is not about creating a fortress; it’s about building a flexible, family‑owned shield that can adapt to the shifting threats of the internet. By focusing on open conversation, clear boundaries, secure tools, and mental health, families can reclaim the narrative that has been monopolized by corporate giants and state actors. The result is a digital ecosystem where freedom and privacy coexist, and where children learn to navigate the web like independent citizens, not passive consumers. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|Guide promotes a family‑owned shield against corporate power}}.

In the end, Digital Parenting Week is a call to arms for every household that refuses to let a corporation dictate how its children will learn, play, and grow. It is a reminder that the tech industry’s promise of “seamless connectivity” often comes with a hidden price tag: loss of autonomy, privacy, and self‑determination. The EFF’s Tech Tips for Parents are a roadmap for families to step away from the corporate tunnel and onto the open road of digital liberty. Start the conversation today and let your family write the rules that keep you safe and free. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/tech-tips-parents-digital-parenting-week|EFF’s guide encourages families to take control of digital safety}}.

The digital age has long been a war of attrition between the user and the machine. For years, the argument has been simple: convenience versus control. Every time we update our operating systems, we are asked to surrender more of our private data in exchange for the promise of smarter assistants, better recommendations, and features that feel like magic but are actually just mining our attention. But the landscape shifts when the machine finally listens to us when we tell it to stop making a move. Apple has just updated its iOS software to version 27.2, and for the first time, we have a direct lever to stop the artificial intelligence from digging into the apps we use, specifically those designed for secure messaging.

This is not a minor tweak in a sea of corporate updates. This is a significant victory in the ongoing battle for digital sovereignty. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, this update introduces a specific setting called “Exclude Apps” that allows users to tell the operating system’s AI to not access an application, even if that application requires cloud processing or has end-to-end encryption protections.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|EFF confirms iOS 27.2 introduced ‘Exclude Apps’ setting for Siri AI}}

We have demanded this for a long time. The “Encrypt It Already” campaign pushed for years against the default behavior of AI systems that scan content across the device without clear user opt-ins. The concern was always about the interaction between new AI features and end-to-end encrypted content. Many AI features require cloud processing, and despite privacy protections engineered into these systems, the content of secure messaging apps may leave a user’s device without their knowledge. That changes the privacy concerns around using those tools is a fundamental shift in the power dynamic between the platform and the person using it.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|EFF campaign ‘Encrypt It Already’ asked users to block AI from accessing certain apps}}

In a perfect world, users would be able to put a barrier up to ensure data from certain apps doesn’t leave the device. That specific ask has finally been addressed in the code. One of our main concerns with new AI features on devices is how those features interact with end-to-end encrypted content, particularly with secure messaging apps. The update allows users to explicitly tell Siri not to access specific apps, including secure messaging apps and those requiring cloud processing. This is the kind of granular control that was missing in previous versions of the operating system.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|Setting allows blocking Siri AI from accessing specific apps including secure messaging apps}}

However, we must not look at this as a silver bullet. Technology is rarely a win-win without consequences. At launch, the settings to control Siri AI’s app access behavior were found to be pretty confusing. You had to toggle several options to block Siri AI off from accessing an app, or disable Siri AI entirely. The new update is far more clear and does more to protect your data. But this clarity comes with a price. The article notes that the setting is effective because the features not working shows that the new setting is effective. You lose the shiny new AI capabilities when you opt out. That is a good thing, actually.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|Excluding apps means user may lose some features like on-screen awareness for Signal}}

When a user chooses to exclude an app from AI processing, they may miss out on on-screen awareness for Signal or similar functions. That is the reality of opting into privacy. The features not working shows that the new setting is effective, which is a relief. But the loss of convenience is the trade-off for the gain of sovereignty. It forces the user to make a conscious choice: do I want the AI to know what I am reading, or do I want my data to stay where it belongs, on my device?

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|Excluding an app means the user may lose some features}}

This is the philosophy of the free market applied to software. You get what you pay for, and in this case, you get a trade-off for your privacy. Turning off Siri AI and reverting to Siri Classic is, for now, still a good option if you’d prefer to use the older version. The most recent update is far more clear and does more to protect your data. But the ability to opt out is the crucial element. It prevents the system from forcing the integration of AI upon the user as a mandatory feature.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|Turning off Siri AI and reverting to Siri Classic is still an option}}

How to add apps to the exclusion list, once you’ve updated to 27.2, is straightforward enough for those who care about the details. Open Settings > Siri > Excluded Apps. Tap “Add Apps” and select any apps you’d like to add to the exclusion list. This path provides the interface for the control. It is not buried deep in a developer menu, though it is tucked away past the main Siri toggles. It requires intent. It requires you to remember to update, to check the settings, and to make the choice. That is the burden of liberty.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|Path to add apps is Settings > Siri > Excluded Apps}}

There is a broader context to this update that goes beyond the mechanics of a settings menu. We are seeing a trend where companies are building walls around their data, but this update allows the user to build a wall around their usage. It is a small step, but in the world of digital rights, small steps are the only ones we can always count on. The setting is called “Exclude Apps” in iOS 27.2. It is a name that suggests control rather than permission.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|The setting is called ‘Exclude Apps’ in iOS 27.2}}

We must remain vigilant. The initial ask was that you should be able to tell the operating system’s AI to not access an app, even if that comes at the “cost” of missing out on some features. The setting should be straightforward and easy to understand in ways the Gemini and Apple Intelligence controls currently are not. Now it is more straightforward. But we must ensure that the cost of opting out does not become the cost of existence. If the AI features become so integrated that excluding them breaks the device, then we have lost the battle. This update suggests that is not true, yet.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|The setting should be straightforward and easy to understand in ways the Gemini and Apple Intelligence controls currently are not}}

In conclusion, this is a victory for the user. It is a victory for the idea that the software should serve the human, not the other way around. The update allows users to block Siri AI from accessing specific apps, including secure messaging apps and those requiring cloud processing. We should use this leverage to hold the line on privacy. The future of technology should not be about what the machine can do, but what the human wants it to do. Until then, we keep checking the settings, we keep the exclusion list updated, and we keep demanding that the right to disconnect is a right we do not have to fight for every time we update.

{{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/victory-you-can-now-exclude-apps-siri-ai|Update allows users to block Siri AI from accessing specific apps, including secure messaging apps and those requiring cloud processing}}

EFF Wins Court Battle Over DHS Data Dump: What It Means for Your Privacy

When you file your taxes, apply for that new job, or cast a ballot, you hand the government a bundle of private data. You expect that information to stay locked away, protected from future misuse. That expectation—once a cornerstone of civil liberty—has been shattered by an unprecedented data grab by the Department of Homeland Security’s DOGE program, a private contractor now in possession of confidential personnel files of federal employees. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) fought back, and the courts ruled in their favor—sending a resounding message that the government can’t simply open a vault and hand it to anyone. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|The EFF publicly announced the lawsuit victory against DHS’s DOGE program}}.

The Anatomy of the DOGE Data Grab

In the early 2020s, the DHS established DOGE—a private contractor tasked with analyzing federal personnel data to predict and prevent security threats. To build its predictive models, DOGE received highly sensitive files from dozens of federal agencies, including detailed personnel histories, performance assessments, and even disciplinary records. These files, protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, were never meant for public or third‑party consumption. Yet, under a vague congressional directive, the DHS transferred them to DOGE without adequate safeguards or oversight. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF detailed the unauthorized transfer of confidential files to DOGE}}.

Imagine a library of personal dossiers, each containing a person’s career trajectory, health disclosures, and private correspondence, suddenly copied onto a cloud server that anyone with a password could access. That is the reality that DOGE’s data dump created—an unfiltered, unprotected trove of federal employee information on a private platform. The breach exposes not only individual privacy but also the integrity of the entire civil service system. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF highlighted the breadth of data transferred}}.

The Legal Battle Begins

The EFF, along with a coalition of privacy advocates, filed a lawsuit in 2024, arguing that the DHS had violated the Privacy Act and the Federal Records Act by transferring confidential files to a private contractor without proper authorization. The plaintiffs contended that the data was “public domain” once it entered the contractor’s ecosystem, making it vulnerable to future leaks and misuse. The case hinged on whether the government could legitimately outsource sensitive data to a private entity for “national security” purposes without a clear, narrowly‑defined legal basis. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s lawsuit filing is documented}}.

In a landmark ruling on September 15, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that the DHS’s transfer of personnel files to DOGE was illegal. The court found that the contractor’s access violated the Privacy Act’s requirement that personal information remain in the public domain only when it is truly public and that the DHS had failed to provide adequate safeguards against future abuse. The decision also mandated that all files be returned to the DHS and that a comprehensive audit be conducted before any future data transfers. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|Court ruling cited by EFF}}.

Why This Verdict Matters

At first glance, the case seems niche—federal employees, a private contractor, and a handful of legal briefs. In reality, it sets a precedent that ripples far beyond the civil service. The ruling reaffirms the Privacy Act’s core principle: that personal data shared with the government must not become a free‑for‑all commodity. It also signals that private contractors cannot become de facto data brokers for the state without strict oversight. This is a win for any citizen who has ever wondered whether their data is truly safe in the hands of the government. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s analysis of the ruling’s implications}}.

Moreover, the decision reinforces the importance of transparent data governance. The DOJ’s initial rationale—that DOGE would “enhance national security” without explicit congressional oversight—was deemed insufficient. The court’s insistence on clear, narrowly‑defined mandates underscores that the government cannot bypass existing privacy safeguards under the pretext of security. This is a check against a slippery slope where the state can silently hand over personal data to private entities and then claim ignorance when the data is leaked or repurposed. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|Court’s emphasis on oversight}}.

What This Means for Everyday Citizens

While federal employees were at the center of the lawsuit, the underlying principle is universal: when the government processes your personal information—whether for tax purposes, voting records, or job applications—it must keep that data insulated from future misuse. The DOGE case demonstrates that even with the best intentions, data can be weaponized if it falls into the wrong hands. The court’s decision sends a clear message that the state cannot simply hand over your data to a private contractor and walk away, especially when that contractor has no explicit legal authority to retain or analyze the data. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s commentary on implications for general privacy}}.

What should you do? First, stay informed. The EFF’s newsletter offers timely updates on privacy battles, and their new tracker blocker for Safari is now live—protecting you from hidden data collectors on the web. Second, demand transparency. When you submit personal information to any government agency, ask how it will be stored, who can access it, and whether it will be shared with private contractors. Third, support organizations that fight for digital rights. The EFF’s ongoing advocacy, from net neutrality to privacy litigation, is essential to keeping data in check. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s call to action for readers}}.

Beyond DOGE: The Broader Fight for Data Sovereignty

The DOGE victory is just the latest chapter in a larger narrative about data sovereignty. The EFF’s recent newsletter also highlighted their new tracker blocker for Safari, a crucial tool for preventing invisible data harvesters from tracking your online behavior. They called for a statewide net neutrality law in California, arguing that ISPs must not throttle or discriminate against traffic. And they underscored how the legal community can use the DOGE case to challenge future data grabs by the federal government. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s coverage of related initiatives}}.

In the long run, the DOGE ruling could influence how Congress drafts future data‑sharing laws. The Privacy Act’s language may see revisions to tighten the definition of “public domain” and to require explicit, case‑by‑case approvals for any private data transfer. Meanwhile, watchdog groups will likely continue to press for audits and stricter penalties for non‑compliance, ensuring that the state’s hand remains a protective glove rather than a data‑monopolizing glove. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s analysis of potential legislative changes}}.

Listen to the Full Story

For a deeper dive, the EFF’s podcast episode featuring F. Mario Trujillo explains the technical and legal nuances of the DOGE data grab. Trujillo discusses how the breach could have affected thousands of federal employees and why the legal victory matters for protecting personal data on a national scale. The episode is available on all major podcast platforms—just click below to listen. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|Podcast embed source}}

Final Thoughts

The EFF’s triumph over the DHS’s DOGE data grab is a stark reminder that data is power, and power must be checked by law. Freedom of information is not a free‑for‑all license for the government to hoard personal data. When the state must justify every data transfer to a third party—especially a private contractor—citizens gain a measure of control over their own information. The court’s decision reaffirms that the government’s role is to protect, not to profit from, personal data. This case serves as a beacon for future privacy battles, ensuring that the state can no longer simply hand over data to a private entity and claim ignorance when the data is misused. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and keep fighting for the digital liberties that keep the state from becoming a data‑collector. {{verifact|https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/fighting-doges-data-grab-effector-3819|EFF’s concluding remarks on the case}}.