EFF is getting sucked into politics

They are self-proclaimed zealots. They fight through information and grassroots efforts. With the rise of what they call “the surveillance state” and an atmosphere that demands political action, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is finding that their goals to stay out of the compromise-laden environment of Washington DC may be futile.

A jolt of pride and panic flashed through the Electronic Frontier Foundation when the first images of Edward Snowden appeared, showing a sandy-haired young man with glasses, a budding goatee and a bright red sticker on his laptop computer proclaiming, “I Support Online Rights.”

The sticker was part of the membership kit for EFF, a leading opponent of government surveillance, but one used to operating beyond the spotlight. Some of its leaders feared Snow­den’s public embrace would thrust it to the middle of a blazing Washington scandal just as the government was looking for someone to blame.