• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, March 1, 2019

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a campaign website titled “Fix It Already,” which calls on big tech companies to patch what the organization calls security holes.

“It’s 2019,” writes the EFF on its website. “We have the technology to fix these problems, and companies are running out of excuses to neglect security and privacy best practices.” The campaign aims to catch a little attention by shaking a few trees.

Top offenders include the usual large tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter, but also Verizon, Slack, Venmo, and WhatsApp.

The EFF states that Google’s Android operating system, for example, should allow users to deny network access permissions -- similar to the way it allows users to deny locations. It believes Apple should allow users to encrypt their iCloud backups without retaining a key, because with today’s setup it makes the data “vulnerable” to government requests.

Twitter also doesn’t send direct messages through end-to-end encryption, making them accessible to law enforcement with search warrants. Facebook asks for members for their phone numbers based on security reasons and then allows companies to use the information to target ads.

Then there is Microsoft‘s Windows 10 Home, which sends encryption keys to the company. And the EFF wants Verizon to stop pre-installing spyware on their phones through AppFlash, a service that describes as a launch/search tool. It tracks apps downloaded to the phones.

EFF said they chose these nine companies because of their well-known problems and weaknesses.

They are asking consumers to reach out and tell the EFF how the problems affect them, the risks they face as a result, and the workarounds they use to make the products secure and private.