Von Kinderhilfswerk bis Lehrerverband: So breit ist die Kritik am Social-Media-Verbot
netzpolitik.org/2026/von-kinde…
KW 8: Die Woche, in der wir uns gegen Alterskontrolle und Klarnamenpflicht wehren
netzpolitik.org/2026/kw-8-die-…
Leakers helped exonerate Rümeysa Öztürk
Dear Friend of Press Freedom,
We don’t yet know whether the government will appeal the dismissal of its deportation case against Rümeysa Öztürk for co-writing an op-ed it didn’t like. Regardless, others — like Ya’akub Vijandre — remain locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for exercising their press freedom rights. Read on for more on the week in press freedom.
Leakers helped exonerate Rümeysa Öztürk
Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk’s deportation case was finally thrown out this month, although the government can still seek review of the dismissal. The ruling came after a memo leaked to the press revealed that the administration knew before arresting her that its allegations of terrorism and antisemitism were false. Öztürk’s supporters were right all along — the case was based entirely on her co-authorship of a relatively tame pro-Palestinian op-ed.
Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern wrote for The Intercept about how the case is yet another example of leaks — which the government claims pose a dire risk to national security — instead serving the public good and exposing misconduct. When the government lies to the people and ignores the Freedom of Information Act, it’s inevitable that people of conscience will bring important documents like the Öztürk memo to the press.
How free news helped Chicago get through Operation Midway Blitz
When immigration authorities invaded Chicago last year, they often targeted lower-income neighborhoods, meaning the people who most needed news about their activities were unlikely to be able to afford a newspaper subscription.
Fortunately, Chicago is full of news outlets that don’t paywall their excellent reporting (as are Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Minnesota, which experienced similar assaults in recent months). But the next city might not be so lucky. Stern and FPF founding board member, actor, and activist John Cusack joined “In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons” on Chicago’s NPR affiliate, WBEZ, to discuss that and other press freedom issues.
Uber for authoritarians
Speaking of leakers bringing us important news, a manual for ICE’s immigrant-targeting computer system, Palantir ELITE, was leaked on Jan. 30 via 404 Media.
John Skiles Skinner, an engineering manager at FPF, took a break from improving SecureDrop (more on that later) to evaluate the manual and the dark road it shows we’re on. He writes that “the software allows the administration to order up a goon squad wherever they want, at the touch of a button. Like Uber for authoritarians. Let’s call it repression as a service.”
Five security lessons from the FBI’s Washington Post raid
The January FBI raid of the home of Washington Post federal government reporter Hannah Natanson, in connection with a leak probe involving a government contractor, was a dangerous escalation against press freedom and likely runs afoul of the Privacy Protection Act. It shouldn’t have happened at all, but it might preview what’s to come.
FPF Deputy Director of Digital Security Dr. Martin Shelton recently examined a court document that shines light on some specifics of the case, and wrote about five lessons journalists can learn.
SecureDrop keeps getting better
FPF is proud to announce the latest version of SecureDrop — open source software whistleblowers use to communicate anonymously with journalists.
The release lays the groundwork for the upcoming SecureDrop App and other exciting efforts to make SecureDrop faster, cheaper, and more secure for newsrooms worldwide. Stay tuned.
What we're reading
‘We returned from hell’: Palestinian journalists recount torture in Israeli prisons
Committee to Protect Journalists
Fifty-eight Palestinian journalists “reported being subjected to what they described as torture, abuse, or other forms of violence” in Israeli detention facilities since October 2023.
Prison-style free speech censorship is coming for the rest of us
The Intercept
Incarcerated journalist and FPF columnist Jeremy Busby wrote about how the upcoming trial of a Texas activist for possessing anarchist zines reminds him of the censorship and retaliation that has been prevalent inside prisons for decades.
Photojournalists documenting Trump’s deportation forces play critical role, but face increasing state violence
Prism
A veteran civil rights attorney warns that “frontline journalists should read the specifics of any emergency order and ask: How do I protect myself, and how do I push back against laws that I feel are unjust, immoral, unconscionable, or that get in the way of freedom of the press?”
Homeland security wants social media sites to expose anti-ICE accounts
The New York Times
It should be obvious that criticizing ICE — or any government agency — on social media is protected by the First Amendment. Tech companies must not comply with sweeping government demands that seek to unmask users simply for expressing their opinions online.
Officials investigating how Lookout obtained report on Oregon State Hospital
Lookout Eugene-Springfield
“The hunting of whistleblowers is wrong because it is failing to address the actual problem, which is the reason they blow the whistle in the first place,” FPF Deputy Director of Advocacy Adam Rose said.
Wisconsin Assembly passes anti-SLAPP legislation
Wisconsin Examiner
Good news: The Wisconsin Assembly advanced its bill protecting people from strategic lawsuits against public participation to the Senate. Legislatures in red, blue, and purple states understand there’s nothing partisan about protecting journalists, activists, and everyone else from anti-speech lawfare.
Upcoming events
Join us at the events below; click the flyers for more info, including on how to register.
Join us for a timely digital security training on how to protect your devices, sources and reporting material from adversaries, particularly in the face of physical interception, sponsored by the NewsGuild-CWA.
freedom.press/issues/leakers-h…
Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
Earlier this month we revealed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using a Palantir tool called ELITE to decide which neighborhoods to raid.The tool lets ICE populate a map with potential deportation targets, bring up dossiers on each person, and view an address “confidence score” based on data sourced from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other government agencies. This is according to a user guide for ELITE 404 Media obtained.
404 Media is now publishing a version of that user guide so people can read it for themselves.
💡
Do you know anything else about ELITE? Do you work at Palantir, ICE, or CBP? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.This post is for subscribers only
Become a member to get access to all content
Subscribe nowHere is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.Joseph Cox (404 Media)
Digital Services Act: Datenzugang ist kein Plattformprivileg, sondern ein Recht
netzpolitik.org/2026/digital-s…
Polizei Sachsen: Beschlagnahmebeschluss für Adenauer-Bus war rechtswidrig
netzpolitik.org/2026/polizei-s…
Anlasslose Massenüberwachung: EU-Datenschutzbeauftragter gegen wahlloses Scannen bei freiwilliger Chatkontrolle
netzpolitik.org/2026/anlasslos…
Digitale Gewalt: „Hass im Netz führt dazu, dass Frauen eher leise auftreten“
netzpolitik.org/2026/digitale-…
Jugendschutz-Debatte: SPD-Politiker*innen fordern Ausweispflicht oder Netzsperren
netzpolitik.org/2026/jugendsch…
Kinderähnliche Sexpuppen und süchtig machendes Design: EU eröffnet Verfahren gegen Shein
netzpolitik.org/2026/kinderaeh…
Digitalisierungsstrategie: Wie „Künstliche Intelligenz“ unser Gesundheitswesen verändern soll – und welche Fragen das aufwirft
netzpolitik.org/2026/digitalis…
Bundesgesundheitsministerium: So umfassend will Warken die Gesundheitsdaten aller Versicherten verknüpfen
netzpolitik.org/2026/bundesges…
ICYMI: Updates from the 2/15 Meeting
ICYMI
Arizona – Arizona recently had an in-person meeting. The next in-person event will a campaign rally on March 1st, which will take place an Aquatics Center.
Candidates – Drew Bingaman’s website is live and can be visited here. Meet and Greets for the Bingaman campaign are scheduled for Feb. 19th in Danville, PA and Feb. 21st in Sunbury, PA. More details on those Meet and Greets can be found on his campaign Facebook page.
Hunter Rand had his Meet and Greet last Tuesday. Recent news regarding Hunter and everything surrounding his campaign can be found on his website and campaign Facebook page. We want to take the time to send our support to Hunter and stand with him. Hunter is running an exceptional campaign and deserves to be recognized for the good he is doing. We stand with you, Hunter Rand. Let no storm be too great to face.
Blase Henry‘s campaign, which was boosted by a recent Arizona Pirate Party in-person meeting, is seeking volunteers for canvassing and signature collecting in the Tucson area. The deadline for signatures has been bumped up to March 23rd.
If you feel so compelled to donate to these Pirate campaigns, you can donate to Blase, Drew or Hunter by clicking their names.
Committees – A request was made for a revival of the Press Committee. There will be an exploration into reviving the committee at the earliest convenience. Upon new election of PR Director, who is expected to take on a larger role in this committee, a schedule will be set and the first meeting will be planned that first week after the Feb. 22nd meeting.
Discord – With the new Age Verification rules requiring users to upload their ID, we are exploring a move from Discord to a different platform. The server will remain, but we are currently exploring options beyond Discord.
Massachusetts – The Massachusetts Pirate Party is actively undergoing voting to decide the new Pirate Council, their state equivalent of the Pirate National Committee. Ballots were sent out by February 13th and are due back by February 27th. Positions include Captain, First Officer, Quartermaster, PR/Media Director, Activism Director, Swarmwise Director, Web/Info Director, three Arbitrators and two representatives to the US Pirate Party.
A big shout out to MAPP Captain Jamie O’Keefe for not only his excellent work as Captain of our oldest and most active and successful state party, but for being among the main forces behind planning the Pirate National Conference. The conference could not happen without the help of our Massachusetts Pirates and for that we cannot thank you enough.
Pirate National Committee – There are presently two vacancies on the Pirate National Committee board: directors of PR and the Online. Next week, during our Feb. 22nd meeting (which will be livestreamed), we will hold elections for the two roles.
A bylaws change was voted upon and unanimously passed, which now allows singular members of the board to be voted off individually. This is in regards to elected board members and not PNC member states.
Pirate National Conference – Just a reminder that the Pirate National Conference will take place June 6th-7th in Boston, MA. June 6th will mark 20 years since the founding of the United States Pirate Party, and we are celebrating that with a conference and a boat. What’s not to love? Here’s to the first twenty, and the next couple twenty years, too.
You can catch up on the meeting yourself here.
Internet-Shutdowns in Afrika: Eine Krise für Menschenrechte und Demokratie
netzpolitik.org/2026/internet-…
Attorney regulators must push back on lawless prosecutors
Dear Friend of Press Freedom,
The deportation case against Rümeysa Öztürk for co-writing an op-ed the government didn’t like was finally dismissed this week, although the administration can still challenge the ruling. But others, like Ya’akub Vijandre, remain locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for exercising their press freedom rights. Read on for more on the week in press freedom.
Attorney regulators must push back on lawless prosecutors
Last Friday, we filed an attorney disciplinary complaint against Gordon Kromberg, the federal prosecutor who reviewed and signed the search warrant application targeting Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. The complaint explained that Kromberg violated his duty to disclose adverse authority when his application neglected to mention a federal law that should have prohibited the raid of Natanson’s home. As we explained in a statement, his omission “now threatens to expose Natanson’s sources and cripple her ability to report, while also sending a warning shot to journalists and whistleblowers nationwide.”
Days later, the Virginia State Bar punted on the complaint, contending that it is up to the judge to whom Kromberg submitted the application to decide if the attorney misrepresented the law. That makes no sense — if attorney honesty is solely for judges to decide, then why do the ethics rules (which are enforced by regulators, not judges) include a duty of candor? As we told The New York Times: “This is the latest example of attorney disciplinary offices finding any excuse to not confront the rampant misconduct by prosecutors and other lawyers inside the Trump administration. Disciplinary offices need to rise to the moment and stop protecting the people they’re supposed to regulate.”
Öztürk deportation case among America’s most blatant press freedom violations
We’re thrilled that Öztürk’s removal case is (hopefully) over but we remain shocked and disgusted that it ever happened. We said in a statement that the case is “arguably the most blatant press freedom violation of this century, and maybe the last century as well. The administration did not even bother to present a pretext for its actions — it arrested her, jailed her in horrific conditions, and sought to expel her solely because she expressed views shared by millions of Americans about one of the most important issues of our time.”
The administration goes after immigrants like Öztürk (who has a student visa) because they’re the easiest targets, not because they have any greater respect for the constitutional rights of citizens. They’d throw out all of us who dissent from their agenda or expose their lies if they could, regardless of citizenship status.
Could the next archivist be even worse?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was never qualified to serve as acting archivist of the United States, even if it were his only job. In normal times, we’d cheer the end of his year-long stint at the National Archives and Records Administration. But in normal times that stint would’ve never happened. And there is a real concern that his successor might not be any better.
Rubio has reportedly picked Jim Byron, who has been functioning as the agency’s day-to-day head, to take over from him. Byron’s track record is troubling, to say the least. Our Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy, Lauren Harper, has more in her secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds.
Digital security for Valentine’s Day
Like love itself, digital security is all about trust, confidentiality, and compatibility, so our digital security team worked with our friends at Calyx Institute on this set of valentines.
Please feel free to choose your favorites, download them, print them if you like, and send them along to anyone you care for, along with our best regards.
What we're reading
Paramount expands offer for Warner Bros amid hostile takeover bid
Al Jazeera
“WBD shareholders should push back against any transaction that would result in CNN being controlled by people who have already shown willingness to sell out journalism and journalists to benefit their other interests,” Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said.
Trump’s campaign against ‘left-wing’ media finds a new target: Apple News
The Washington Post
To summarize Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson’s ridiculous letter: “We’re not the speech police, but we reserve the right to make up nonexistent misrepresentations as a pretext to police speech.”
Landmark settlement announced in lawsuit challenging unlawful questioning of journalists at the border
American Civil Liberties Union
An important win for press freedom from the ACLU: A landmark settlement for photojournalists who had their First Amendment rights violated at the U.S.-Mexico border by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol.
LAPD replaces ‘less-lethal’ gun ‘known to maim people’ with another ‘less-lethal’ gun capable of doing the exact same thing
LA Taco
“Whatever euphemistic term people use for these weapons, all of them are known to maim people for life,” said FPF’s deputy director of advocacy, Adam Rose. “They’re only appropriate when the only alternative is lethal force.”
ICE is expanding across the US at breakneck speed. Here’s where it’s going next
Wired
In the midst of its lies about the dangers of filming law enforcement operations, ICE now claims that revealing its new office locations is a “national security” concern. It’s not.
RSVP: freedom.press/workin-FOIA
freedom.press/issues/attorney-…
Migrationskontrolle: Ein KI-Chatbot von Frontex soll zu Selbst-Abschiebung beraten
netzpolitik.org/2026/migration…
David gegen Goliath: Überwachungskonzern Palantir verklagt die „Republik“
netzpolitik.org/2026/david-geg…
Automatisierte Datenanalyse: Innenausschuss in Sachsen-Anhalt winkt massiv kritisiertes Palantir-Gesetz unverändert durch
netzpolitik.org/2026/automatis…
Australisches Modell: „Ein Social-Media-Verbot macht den Jugendschutz schlechter“
netzpolitik.org/2026/australis…
Trotz Sicherheitsbedenken: Düsseldorfer Stadtrat will anonyme digitale Abstimmungen
netzpolitik.org/2026/trotz-sic…
Umfrage: Hälfte der Deutschen will Verbot der Plattform X bei weiteren Rechtsverstößen
netzpolitik.org/2026/umfrage-h…
Selbstbestimmungsgesetz in Baden-Württemberg: „Die automatische Datenweitergabe ist ein Skandal“
netzpolitik.org/2026/selbstbes…
The Case for a Digital Legacies Treaty
Pirate Parties International has increasingly advocated for digital rights in international forums. Our UNHQ representatives presented the importance of digital rights during their 2018 speech at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and we also published the following statement that year for the Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
We emphasize that digital rights are human rights, and global treaties must sanctify those rights and police nation states that both restrict access to digital services and violate privacy. Our digital footprints are more than merely data. They are a part of our person. When we die our digital footprint remains. We must protect our medical records, emails, photos, social profiles, games, and the host of digital records that reflect ourselves in this modern age where a person exists in a digital world that coexists alongside the physical one.
“…you´ll never need to delete another message”
Imagine logging into an old email only to find years of correspondence vanished, or a cherished game erased, or all of your emails, photographs, and files suddenly in danger of being erased if you do not download them from the cloud. Such is the case when service remove free cloud storage that they dangle to attract new users. Remember when Gmail told us that we would never have to erase an email again: “Don’t throw anything away. 1000 megabytes of free storage so you’ll never need to delete another message”.
That amounts to only 1 gb, which they have since expanded to 15 gb for free, but it is still not enough for most people. Furthermore, utilizing free corporate services like Gmail means that you are selling your data to companies and government agencies. We must provide safe and free storage as a human right.
“Social media platforms must ensure that user accounts are preserved.”
Pirate parties have long championed digital rights, privacy, and user sovereignty. It’s time to protect our extracorporeal (beyond body) and posthumous (after death) online existence with a global Digital Legacies Treaty. The core argument of this accord is to protect personal archives. Even if a user is inactive or dead, we must sanctify their digital records. Individuals who are alive must be able to obtain access to their accounts and services. Likewise, next of kin, must have rights to access them. The right to digital services is similar to a child´s need for education but extending over a lifetime and beyond. This act would ensure perpetual access to services and transfer rights, as well as prevent companies from removing access to services that were provided for free (e.g. offering free storage and then changing policy to charge for it). Social media platforms must ensure that user accounts are preserved, unless the user or their next of kin has expressly provided demands to remove them. As social media grows over time, platforms will have distinct incentives to remove the information of users that do not benefit their corporate or political goals. We must ensure that users and user data are not erased in an effort to control the present and our memories of the past.
“Email services and social media platforms must be treated as effective utilities”
To directly tackle corporate arguments that it’s costly to maintain access and preserve user data, a shift in governance regulations is required. Email services and social media platforms must be treated as effective utilities, similar to healthcare and other emergency services. This means that the financial costs required for the services to maintain access to user data would become a government expense, an essential service akin to a military defense budget. In the growing age of AI disinformation, access to an individual´s authentic information is vital towards our survival as a civilization. With this, investments must be made to ensure that only public information remains and an individual´s privacy is respected.
When platforms shutter, data often evaporates. Projects, such as the Internet Archive´s Wayback Machine, UNESCO´s Memory of the World, and the EU´s Europeana archive play a crucial role in preserving our shared digital heritage. Prior global initiatives, such as UNESCO´s Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage, are non-binding or lack enforcement mechanisms, resulting in limited scope and uneven implementation. As a result, a large chunk of our collective personal memories are cremated, often while we are still alive. The Digital Legacies Treaty aims to address this with structured procedures. First, it will mandate bailout, takeover, or merger options to keep services alive, prioritizing user data continuity over profit. If that’s impossible, it would require donation of archival data to trusted GLAM institutions (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums). Aside from the ongoing global projects listed above, viable national recipients include the National Diet Library of Japan, the Bibliothèque nationale of France, and the National Archives of the USA. Collaboration between national and global parties will ensure humanity does not experience a digital dark age.
“ National Legacy governance acts will likely precede any successful supranational treaty.”
Finally, we cannot trust that a global Digital Legacies Treaty will be effectively implemented in our lifetimes. National Legacy governance acts will likely precede any successful supranational treaty, and even such reforms may never be sufficient. For the time being, we encourage the public to preserve your own records. Create manual backups on good storage. Remember that even the best hard drives have limited durability. Please consider creating memory disks and other long-term storage. While we often believe that we are living in the modern age, in fact we are at the dawn of the digital age. Our generation is among the first to be able to have digital records that can be preserved forever. We believe that our digital records are important. They are our collective memory preserved for the future. Ultimately, we are responsible for preserving our own memories. And to do so, we must make a global united stand to ensure that our online lives are protected in the same way as our physical ones. We hope that more policymakers, tech leaders, and individuals will join us in this fight. Contact your representatives, share this vision, and demand a web that respects our legacies. Our digital souls depend on it.
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The following message was prepared by members of the PPI Discord community. It does not necessarily reflect the views of all PPI members, but we hope it does. If any of our members have competing ideas about this issue or any other issue that they would like us to broadcast, please share them with us. We are happy to broadcast a variety of ideological opinions and diverse issues. Our goal is to create positive communication to solve problems.
ICYMI: Updates from the 2/8 Meeting
ICYMI
Even though there was no meeting, there’s plenty to update!
Arizona – AZPP’z first party rally is planned for March 1st from 4PM to 6 PM. They will have a table with all the information provided. Speakers are being lined up and anyone interested in speaking should reach out to do so. Light food and drink will be provided. Further, there are plans on coordinating with other organizers and sending invites to other minor parties.
The state of Arizona has moved the deadline for petition signatures up two weeks, meaning the Blase Henry campaign now is two weeks behind schedule. Instead of the previous deadline of April 6th, it is now March 23rd. The signature threshold is high and the challenge is a tough one, but the Blase Henry campaign is committed to collecting the signatures (currently needing less than 60 per day) and being an option come November. If you are in the Tucson area, we are seeking out volunteers to assist with signature collection!
Illinois – Two volunteers recently worked on the Joey Ruzevich campaign, assisting with handing out literature and canvassing. Joey Ruzevich is presently not a candidate endorsed by the national United States Pirate Party, but is a favorite among Illinois Pirates. Ruzevich is currently running in the Democratic Primary for IL-06 in the U.S. Congress.
Nevada – Hunter Rand will be hosting a Meet and Greet event on February 10th at MF International in Sparks. It is an RSVP event with information in the graphics below.
Pennsylvania – Drew Bingaman recently launched his new campaign website, which you can find here. Speaking of the campaign, there will be two (2) Meet and Greet and Petition Signing events on February 19th in Danville and February 21st in Sunbury, respectively. Information regarding those two events can be found on the Drew Bingaman campaign Facebook page.
Pirate National Committee – there are two (2) vacancies on the Pirate National Committee board, following resignations from our PR Director and Webadmin. The role is expected to be filled by the Feb. 22nd meeting. The Feb. 15th has been moved to livestream, meaning the Feb. 15th and 22nd meetings will both be livestreamed to YouTube.
Pirate National Conference – the Pirate National Conference, marking 20 years of the United States Pirate Party, will be held in Boston, MA on June 6th-7th. Saturday June 6th will commemorate twenty years since the party was founded in Athens, GA on June 6th, 2006. You can expect the 6th to feature more festivities and celebrations, while both days will still heavily feature conference business, including but not limited to electing a new board. Speakers, keynote or otherwise, will be announced in the coming weeks. All Pirate candidates will be offered time to speak.
Super Bowl – Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on winning Super Bowl LX, but allow us to take a moment to send our love to Bad Bunny for the Pan-American love letter during his Halftime Performance. Juntos somos América. Hell of a show.
Gesetzentwurf: Vorratsdatenspeicherung deutlich länger als drei Monate
netzpolitik.org/2026/gesetzent…
Verhaltensscanner in Mannheim: Keine Straftaten, aber Kamera-Überwachung
netzpolitik.org/2026/verhalten…
