Posted on August 11, 2017
New video: CREDO Action’s Josh Nelson at Netroots Nation
CREDO Action Deputy Political Director Josh Nelson spoke at Netroots Nation to discuss our activism against Trump-appointee Betsy DeVos with our allies in the movement. You can watch the full panel discussion below or on our Facebook page.
Posted on August 11, 2017
CREDO is the only mobile phone company fighting for your privacy
At CREDO, we stand for protecting your privacy and have a long history of fighting for it.
From our work to stop internet spying and data collection by the government to our long-standing privacy policies that are at the core of our company’s values, we respect and fight for our customers’ privacy — no matter what.
That’s why, once again, CREDO Mobile is extremely proud to be the only mobile phone company to receive a 5-star rating from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, highlighted in its report, “Who Has Your Back? Government Data Requests 2017.”
In the telecom sector, EFF found that not all companies are created equal. As technology news site Techcrunch points out, there’s a similarity among the companies that received one-star:
In fact, EFF found that these four telecommunications companies are the worst offenders included in the report when it comes to protecting customer privacy, noting:
Unfortunately, even as the industry as a whole has shifted toward transparency and privacy, there are many companies that are falling short. In particular, telecommunications companies like AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile, and Verizon are failing to live up to larger tech industry practices. When it comes to adopting policies that prioritize user privacy over facilitating government data demands, the telecom industry for the most part has erred on the side of prioritizing government requests.
But CREDO Mobile is a notable exception:
But telecommunications companies can do better. For example, Credo Mobile has repeatedly proven that telecom companies can adopt policies that earn credit in every category year after year.
CREDO Mobile is one of only nine companies that received recognition in all five categories of EFF’s report:
- CREDO follows industry-wide best practices.Here at CREDO, we publish a quarterly transparency report and law enforcement guidelines and require a subpoena, court order or warrant, in the case of a request for content, before releasing customer information.
- CREDO tells users about government data requests. We promise to provide customers with advance notice of a government demand.
- CREDO promises not to sell out our customers. We do not provide third parties special access to user data for the purpose of surveillance.
- CREDO stands up to National Security Letter gag orders. We are committed to using all available statutory procedures to ensure that each request to CREDO accompanied by an indefinite gag is reviewed by a judge. CREDO has fought for the right to disclose each NSL it has received in the past and will continue to do so. In fact, over the past year, we have won the right to disclose the existence of three NSLs that the government fought for years to keep secret.
- CREDO has pro-user public policies. We are working for full repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act and FISA Amendments Act. We opposed reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act’s Section 215 before the USA Freedom Act was passed (a bill we also opposed) and oppose the reauthorization of FISA Section 702 as it is currently written.
We are proud to stand up for our members’ privacy, and we will always defend our customers’ civil liberties and fight against abuses of power that threaten constitutional rights to privacy.
By leading the way in adopting policies to protect consumers, promote transparency and resist government overreach, we’re living our progressive values in a way that truly matters for our members.
Posted on August 11, 2017
New video: The Electronic Frontier Foundation on user privacy in the digital world
As a mobile phone and internet provider, defending civil liberties in a digital world is near and dear to our hearts here at CREDO. We understand first hand how vital it is to protect our digital freedoms, rights and particularly our customers’ privacy.
That’s why, this July, CREDO was honored to host Rainey Reitman, activism director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), for a discussion about how EFF defends civil liberties and protects user privacy in the digital world through strategic litigation with potential to set key precedents, policy analysis, grassroots activism and technology development.
CREDO members have voted to donate more than $320,000 to EFF, which is a longtime CREDO ally and partner, dating back to our work together in 2003 in opposition to electronic voting machines. Today, CREDO and EFF are closely partnering together to protect net neutrality and defend civil liberties.
Posted on August 10, 2017
Al Gore is back with a heated “Sequel”
Al Gore is as passionate as ever about climate change. A decade after his documentary An Inconvenient Truth made climate change a front-burner topic for people everywhere, Gore is back with An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. And this time he’s pulling no punches. “He’s been very engaged and frankly is much less diplomatic now,” director Bonni Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. “Al’s gloves have come off.” And yet the new film offers hope, describing just how close we are to a clean energy revolution.
Posted on August 2, 2017
Our July grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute our funding to three amazing organizations. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can dedicate resources to defend social justice, protect and expand Medicaid and Medicare and support the legal defense of whistleblowers who expose attacks on our democracy. Just last month, over 88,000 CREDO members voted to distribute our funds to Center for Constitutional Rights, Social Security Works and the Whistleblower Special Defense Fund.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our July grant recipients thank you.
Center for Constitutional Rights
“Thank you for your vote – and thank you, CREDO, for your renewed support! Together, we are advancing the rights of those with the fewest protections and least access to legal resources and strengthening progressive movements that strive for justice and equality.” To learn more, visit ccrjustice.org.
Social Security Works
“CREDO members stood with us in 2010, when ‘everybody’ knew Social Security benefits would be cut, the only question was by how much. Together we galvanized a movement and changed the conversation. Social Security Works & CREDO have faced long odds and won before. Your support means we will again.” To learn more, visit socialsecurityworks.org.
Posted on August 1, 2017
Vote for these great progressive organizations this August
Every month, CREDO members vote how to divide our monthly donation to three great progressive groups. This August, you can vote for organizations fighting for workers’ rights in China, providing cutting-edge progressive journalism and standing up to the dirty fossil fuel industry. This month you can vote for China Labor Watch, Democracy Now! and Stand Up to Oil. Learn more about their important work, and then cast your vote for one, two or all three by August 31.
China Labor Watch
Since 2000, China Labor Watch (CLW) has been a leading organization standing up for Chinese workers’ rights. CLW views Chinese workers’ rights as inalienable human rights and is dedicated to workers’ fair share of economic development under globalization.
Funding from CREDO will enable CLW to conduct more investigations of factories in developing countries that supply multinational brands and help improve labor conditions for factory workers. A CREDO donation will also immediately help support three currently detained CLW investigators who are involved in Ivanka Trump’s supplier factory investigations.
Posted on July 31, 2017
Books CREDO recommends: Summer 2017 edition
The dog days of summer are in full swing, but the attacks on the middle class and the country’s most vulnerable by the Trump administration continue in full force. Here at CREDO, we’re not letting the summer heat keep us from fighting back the attacks — and we hope it won’t stop you, either. Here are two great books of the resistance that we’d like to recommend you add to your summer reading list to help keep up the fight, too.
“This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class” by Senator Elizabeth Warren
While the middle class has been shrinking for decades and income inequality continues to soar, hardworking Americans struggle everyday to make ends meet as they watch as Donald Trump and right-wing politicians in Washington slash our social safety net to hand out massive tax breaks to the country’s richest.
As the poor and middle class are hammered by an unfair system, progressive champion Senator Elizabeth Warren offers hope and practical solutions to reverse the dwindling middle class in her New York Times bestseller, “This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class
Written in her trademark practical, no-nonsense style, this thought-provoking book is a powerful and important insight into Senator Warren’s ideas to protect the economic security of everyday Americans, shrink the gap between the rich and poor and ensure progressives continue fighting no matter what in the face of a corrupt and incompetent administration.
“The Resistance Handbook: 45 Ways to Fight Trump” by Michael Huttner and Markos Moulitsas
When disgruntled Donald Trump supporters spam your Amazon book listing with one-star ratings and angry, incoherent fake reviews, you know you’re doing something right.
“The Resistance Handbook: 45 Ways to Fight Trump
With simple, actionable steps, “The Resistance Handbook” provides you with specific and meaningful ways to engage with elected officials and in one’s community to stop the Trump administration’s racist, sexist, homophobic attacks on vulnerable communities while building a strong political movement to get out the vote and defeat Trump and right-wing extremists in the next election.
If you’ve been asking yourself, “What more can I do to stop Trump?”, then this is a helpful guide for you.
Posted on July 27, 2017
New video: Rainey Reitman of EFF visits CREDO headquarters
Rainey Reitman, activism director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, visited CREDO headquarters for a special conversation to discuss how the organization defends civil liberties and protects user privacy in the digital world through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism and technology development. If you missed the live broadcast on Facebook, you can watch the full video below.
Posted on July 26, 2017
Video: Empowering activists to resist Trumpcare with their personal stories
Trumpcare, the Republican plan to gut health care for millions of Americans, defund Planned Parenthood and raise insurance premiums across the country, is a cruel, heartless and deadly legislation.
This Republican plan is so unpopular that cowardly Republican senators have been avoiding their constituents in recent weeks by refusing to host town hall meetings or public events.
That’s why leading up to recent legislative action in Congress CREDO had been working to empower people across the country with our Resist Trumpcare video project to lift up the health care stories of people in key states who have the most to lose if Republicans pass Trumpcare.
Posted on July 13, 2017
CREDO Mobile Earns Top Marks for Protecting Consumer Privacy
New report on privacy practices shows CREDO Mobile’s dedication to safeguarding customer data
A new report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation evaluating top tech companies’ consumer privacy protections recognized CREDO Mobile’s dedication to safeguarding customer data in all five categories evaluated. The report, Who Has Your Back? Government Data Requests 2017 is available here. CREDO Mobile is the only mobile carrier to receive five stars; all other mobile carriers evaluated received one star.
The report analyzed thousands of requests by the United States Government for consumer data and surveillance attempts, and evaluated the companies’ responses against industry best practices. Baseline best practices include publishing a transparency report and requiring a warrant before releasing user content to the government.
“At CREDO, we stand for protecting internet privacy and have a long history of fighting for it,” said CREDO Mobile CEO Ray Morris. “By leading the way in adopting policies to protect consumers, promote transparency, and resist government overreach, we’re living our progressive values in a way that truly matters for our members.”
CREDO Mobile received recognition in all five categories: following industry-wide best practices, telling users about government data requests, promising not to sell out users, standing up to national security letter gag orders and having pro-user public policies. Only nine companies received credit in each category. CREDO Mobile has received a perfect score each time it has been evaluated in the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Who Has Your Back?” reports.
