We recently refreshed our privacy policy for the first time since 2022. While many changes involve clarifications and improved transparency—especially around third-party tools—one significant update stands out. Here are five key things you need to know about what changed and why, presented in a straightforward numbered list.
1. Why We Updated the Policy Now
Our previous policy dated back to 2022, and since then, digital privacy norms have evolved. This update isn't a radical overhaul but a refinement. We reorganized sections to make them easier to navigate, clarified how third-party services that power parts of our website operate, and enhanced transparency overall. The goal was to ensure that our policy reflects current practices and provides clear, accessible information. However, one change is substantive enough to warrant a direct explanation—that's the focus of the following items.
2. The Major Change: Opt-In Email Tracking
We've introduced an optional, explicit consent mechanism for tracking interactions with our advocacy emails. Currently, many organizations automatically monitor email opens and link clicks without asking. We want to know how our campaigns resonate—which topics engage you, which don't, and what drives support for freedom, justice, and innovation. But we believe this should only happen with your clear permission. So from now on, we'll ask for your opt-in consent before we collect any email engagement data. This is a voluntary tool to help us improve our outreach, not a default setting.
3. How Consent Works in Practice
Here's the process: when you sign up for our emails or during a future communication, you'll see a clear question asking if you consent to basic tracking—whether you open the email and click links. If you say yes, we'll collect those two data points only. If you say no or ignore the request, nothing changes; we won't track you. You can revoke consent at any time by clicking an opt-out link in any future email or by contacting membership@eff.org. This makes it a genuine, user-controlled choice rather than a hidden default.
4. What We Won't Do: No Pixels, No Profiling, No Selling
We understand the irony: a digital rights organization introducing email tracking. But our approach is fundamentally different from the ubiquitous, nonconsensual tracking found across the web. We have never used email tracking pixels, and we still don't. We won't build profiles of your behavior, share your engagement data with third parties, or sell it. The only insight we gain is a rough aggregate picture of which campaigns gain traction. This is a stark contrast to the industry norm, where roughly two-thirds of emails contain hidden tracking without explicit consent.
5. Why We Believe This Approach Matters
By requiring opt-in consent, we're taking a path few others follow. Most websites and email senders rely on dark patterns or assume consent by default. We've heard from many supporters that they trust us precisely because we prioritize privacy. That trust isn't something we take lightly. By offering a real choice, we hope to demonstrate that effective advocacy doesn't require sneaky tracking. If this model works, it could inspire other organizations to adopt similar transparent practices. We believe that nonconsensual tracking shouldn't be the default—and that only users who actively choose to participate should be included.
In conclusion, this privacy policy update represents our ongoing commitment to putting you in control. The opt-in email tracking feature is a small but meaningful step toward aligning our practices with our principles. We hope it sets an example for the web at large. As always, we welcome your feedback and questions—reach out anytime at membership@eff.org.