January 29, 2026
Closed for a cause, open to chaos
EFF to Close Friday in Solidarity with National Shutdown
EFF clocks out to protest ICE — fans ask, “Help or hassle?”
TLDR: EFF will close Friday to join a national shutdown protesting ICE and CBP violence. Comments split between praise and confusion: some want clearer details, others complain about mission drift, and jokers warn lawmakers might sneak changes while EFF’s offline—highlighting how tech activism collides with community expectations.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says it’ll close on Friday to join a “national shutdown” protesting violence by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection). The mission is clear, but the comments? Absolute chaos. The top reaction: confusion. One user demanded, “What does shutdown even mean? Is the website going down?” Others worried a pause would hurt people who rely on EFF’s help, asking how silence helps protestors. Another camp is furious about mission drift: one longtime fan sighed, “The EFF I remember fought for open source and privacy,” framing this as politics over product.
Amid the heat, a helpful sleuth dropped a link to the National Shutdown explainer, trying to cut through the vagueness. Strategy nerds jumped in with a boycott hack, wondering if weeks of only buying essentials would spook policymakers more than a single day off. And then there’s the meme brigade: one joker yelled, “Quick! Repeal Section 230 while they aren’t looking!”—because if the internet’s watchdogs take a nap, Congress might wake up. EFF’s own stance stays firm—“we will not remain silent,” plus a link to their guide on your right to film ICE. Verdict from the crowd: powerful gesture, messy rollout—and a community split between applause, eye-rolls, and popcorn.
Key Points
- •EFF will close on Friday, Jan. 30 in solidarity with a national shutdown opposing ICE and CBP.
- •The organization expresses support for Minneapolis and communities affected by ICE and CBP actions.
- •EFF characterizes ICE and CBP actions, and those of other federal agencies, as brutality and terror against immigrant communities and allies.
- •EFF states the closure decision is not taken lightly and signals it will not remain silent.
- •EFF directs readers to its resource explaining the right to record police activity, including filming ICE.