Join EFF’s 30th Anniversary Livestream and Party Like It’s 1990!

On Friday, July 10, 1990, the Electronic Frontier Foundation was officially born. It’s safe to say that on that day, co-founders Mitch Kapor and John Perry Barlow were ahead of their time in imagining that there needed to be an organization that fought to protect ordinary people’s access to new technology that could instantly erase distance, create connection, and access much of the world’s knowledge. Today—thirty years later—that technology affects and is affected by most everything we do. 

Throughout those thirty years, EFF has been on the frontlines, fighting thousands of battles in courts, in Congress, on the streets, and across the globe to ensure that when you go online, your rights go with you. We’re excited to celebrate our victories. and the lessons we’ve learned, during our 30th Anniversary Party on Friday—and you’re invited!

We’re kicking off a year-long celebration of EFF’s 30th Anniversary with this special livestream. Along with music, special guests, cat-cams, and Tech Trivia, we’ll premiere a series of interactive EFF30 Fireside Chats about the past, present, and future of online rights. Bring your friends!

Here’s the detailed schedule: Starting at 3 pm PT, we’ll begin the packed schedule with a DJ set by Funkip, a musical tomato from San Francisco who has performed her brand of “cute bangers 80-200 BPM for ravers and otaku” at festivals and other venues around the Bay Area.

At 4:00 pm, EFF’s Executive Director, Cindy Cohn, will welcome everyone to our stream and commemorate our 30th anniversary. Cindy first became involved with EFF in 1993, when EFF asked her to serve as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. Since then, she’s served as EFF’s Legal Director as well as its General Counsel, and has been Executive Director since 2016. 

At 4:10 pm, we’ll have the first in a year-long series of “EFF30 Fireside Chats.” In this chat, author, security technologist, and EFF board member Bruce Schneier will discuss the future of the “Crypto Wars,” the long-running battle between the U.S. government and encryption enthusiasts around secure and private communications. 

Starting in the 90s, the Crypto Wars have continued right up to the present day with the EARN IT Act, a bill that would give unprecedented powers to law enforcement—including the ability to break into our private messages by creating encryption backdoors. Joining Bruce will be Cindy Cohn, Senior Staff Attorney Andrew Crocker, and Senior Staff Technologist Erica Portnoy.

At 5 pm we’ll do what Twitch was created for: livestream EFF Staff discussing how digital security impacts us all in meatspace—while playing on the EFF island in Animal Crossing. 

Just before 6 pm, we’ll be saluting some of the animal friends that remind us all how great the Internet can be. You’ll see cameos from various inhuman EFF companions. 

You’re invited to give your own buddies some time in the spotlight! Post a video or photo of them with #EFF30Pets and we’ll share some of our favorites!

And starting at 6 pm, test your mettle with EFF’s Fourth Annual Tech Trivia, led by our own “Cybertiger” Cooper Quintin. If you haven’t joined an EFF Tech Trivia event before, you’re in for a treat. The Cybertiger will urge you to nerd your hardest in this exploration of digital security, online rights, and Internet culture. Thanks to Facebook, Gandi.net, and No Starch Press for supporting this Fourth Annual Tech Trivia contest! EFF’s Tech Trivia Night is a great opportunity to gather with peers in the tech community AND support the crucial fight for online civil liberties. 

Then, at 8 pm, join us for the virtual party game Quiplash! You can join the fun by playing as part of the audience and voting on your favorite answers. EFF Director of Strategy Danny O’Brien and EFF Special Advisor and author Cory Doctorow lead a panel of online rights advocates and special guests.

Closing out the evening will be a DJ Set by Encanti with visuals by VJ Lumendrop. Encanti is the artist name of Ben Cantil, half of audio/visual duo Zebbler Encanti Experience, who releases music on experimental electronic labels Wakaan and Gravitas Recordings. Lumendrop (Theresa Silver) is an audiovisual artist, multimedia developer, VJ, stage designer, and projection mapping specialist.

Whether you’re a new member of the digital rights movement, or you were around for the beginning of the Crypto Wars, we hope you’ll help us celebrate this milestone. EFF is there for you for now, with advice on avoiding surveillance during protests, and has been there for you then, fighting NSA spying programs and government efforts to break iPhone encryption. We’re excited to celebrate 0 years of defending your civil liberties in the digital world. We hope you can stop in for some of fun! 

EFF would like to extend our sincere appreciation to No Starch Press and Ridder, Costa, and Johnstone LLP for sponsoring our 30th Anniversary Livestream! If you or your company want to learn about future EFF sponsorship opportunities, please contact Nicole Puller.