Hi,
The EFF/Tor Worldwide Day of Action to stop the Rule 41 changes is happening tomorrow; already many people can view the banner on the Tor website and click through.
Basically, these changes (which EFF calls "catastrophic") will let judges allow the Department of Justice (and FBI) to legally hack computers using Tor all over the world by obtaining a search warrant--starting December 1, 2016. The search warrants allowable under these rule changes are very broad and could affect thousands of innocent Tor users.
The purpose of this Day of Action is to educate people and mobilize them to act--either by signing a petition or contacting Congress (you can do one of these from the banner on the Tor website). Then, members of US Congress will use that public pressure to try to pass the #SMHAct, which would undo these rule changes. It is an uphill battle.
Please tweet and retweet about this situation--all day if you can. Email your lists.
Alison got us started: https://twitter.com/flexlibris/status/744301855614787584
And I quote: HI IF YOU USE TOR OR A VPN RULE 41 WOULD GIVE THE DOJ EXPANSIVE POWERS TO HACK YOUR SHIT NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE
That is the gist.
Please spread the word.
Cheers,
Katie
ps: The US Department of Justice has jurisdiction over immigrants, native americans, and many different groups and projects: https://www.justice.gov/agencies --I am trying to find out whether these Rule 41 changes might impact any of these groups.
pps: For more policy information about this bill, see https://cdt.org/insight/issue-brief-proposed-changes-to-rule-41/ (but remember the changes are no longer proposed and will happen automatically unless Congress passes SMHAct)
or https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/rule-41-little-known-committee-propose...