How EFF saved Indymedia from an unconstitutional subpoena for all its visitors' IP addresses

[naaman fletcher]

When the US government demanded the IP address of every visitor to Indymedia's website (and ordered Indymedia to keep the request secret), Indymedia called the Electronic Frontier Foundation. EFF fought the subpoena -- which was grossly unconstitutional -- and won. Here's the story of how it happened, and remember, if you ever get a crazy, unconstitutional request from a G-man, stop and call a lawyer or get in touch with EFF.


http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/09/how-eff-saved-indyme.html

[hunter]

1. Wow.

One thing rotten about this nation is that so many people don't know their rights and accept illegal and unconstitutional requests from the government.

In the chaos and fear of 911, much of that chaos and fear deliberately manufactured by the Bush Administration, our government got away with a lot of illegal crap entirely unchallenged. "Total Information Awareness" and domestic spying became very much a reality, even though the name and logo was abandoned.

cc

"You are not to disclose the existence of this request unless authorized by the Assistant U.S. Attorney. Any such disclosure would impede the investigation being conducted and thereby interfere with the enforcement of the law."

That's something you might find in the secret police handbook of any authoritarian state.

[Ghost Dog]

2. Always support the EFF

http://www.eff.org/wp/anatomy-bogus-subpoena-indymedia

[Xithras]

3. Very glad to hear that.

I visit IndyBay on occassion (not often, they tend to be a bit "out there" on many issues), and hate to think that my IP would be in some FBI database because of it. Last time I looked, viewing the writings of others was neither a crime nor grounds for investigation.