Thanks to everyone here who supports this work. It really helps to be a member of EFF -- the fact that we're publicly supported by a wide range of concerned individuals makes a difference. Our membership is mentioned in every court submission we make.
Also, if you, your family and friends or your organization are thinking about supporting EFF's work at a higher level, let's talk. I'm danny@eff.org; I work on EFF's international activities, but I'm also taking some time this year to work with people who are know our work, and are interested in increasing their support or spreading the word to their colleagues.
Just renewed my membership to the EFF yesterday. Through the 4th of July, they have discounted rates to become a member [0]. I encourage everyone to donate, looking through cases they've been involved in within the past year, the money is being used well.
Use Redfin instead of Zillow/Trulia whenever possible. Starve the beast. (Zillow makes its money off of income from realtors seeking leads, RedFin makes its money off of actual real estate transaction fees [discounted compared to traditional commissions])
EDIT: Just read the end of the post: "Meanwhile, another organization that does understand copyright and fair use much better than Zillow is EFF. And EFF is now representing McMansion Hell."
My wife and I bought our house using a Redfin agent. They were as hands-on or -off as we liked. We could look at listings online and schedule tours and we could ask the agent for any recommendations that might fit what we're looking for, but maybe not where we were originally looking. They also helped with negotiating and closing (as you'd expect of any Realtor, but it was nice dealing with the same 2 people the whole time).
> Zillow has brought a knife to a gun fight.
:) I wonder if this will have any outcome for ToS, as that's was one of Zillow's complaints.
To add to this point, I contacted a realtor through Zillow, had two email exchanges with him where I asked specific questions about a property. Each time, my questions were ignored, and his responses can be summarized as "are you pre-approved?" In the second email, he politely redirected me to another realtor that it appeared he was managing and I never heard from them again.
As mentioned downthread, this week we're in the middle of our summer membership drive: https://supporters.eff.org/donate/summer-security-camp-r1 -- we have stickers, guides, and patches.
Also, if you, your family and friends or your organization are thinking about supporting EFF's work at a higher level, let's talk. I'm danny@eff.org; I work on EFF's international activities, but I'm also taking some time this year to work with people who are know our work, and are interested in increasing their support or spreading the word to their colleagues.