US Attorneys Fishing For Tons Of Info On Anonymous Commenters
from the isn't-that-a-bit-much? dept
Michael Scott points us to the fact that US Attorneys have requested data on anonymous commenters who commented on an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. From the description, it sounds like the feds are fishing for a lot more than they should be allowed to get. The subpoena requested:"full name, date of birth, physical address, gender, ZIP code, password prompts, security questions, telephone numbers and other identifiers ... the IP address," of everyone who commentedSeem a bit excessive? It's not entirely clear what the feds are fishing for, but one indicator? Some of the comments were quite critical of (you guessed it) a federal prosecutor. As Thomas Mitchell, the editor of the Review-Journal notes:
These comment posters are not reporters; they have no shield law protection, especially since Congress has yet to pass the pending federal shield law. A grand jury can subpoena just about anyone for any reason.We've been seeing a lot of similar stories lately -- with gov't officials getting upset at what's being said about them online, and pushing the (or crossing) the boundaries of the law in order to try to find out who is behind those comments.
But what time, effort and tax-funded expenses are being expended by the U.S. attorney's office to track down a bunch of posturing blowhards squandering their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination?
....
What the prosecutors don't appear to understand is that we don't have most of what they are seeking. We don't require registration. A person could use a fictitious name and e-mail address, and most do. We have no addresses or phone numbers.
To add prior restraint to the chilling effect of the sweeping subpoena, we were warned: "You have no obligation of secrecy concerning this subpoena; however, any such disclosure could obstruct and impede an ongoing criminal investigation. ..."
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Filed Under: anonymity, anonymous comments, las vegas, privacy, us attorneys
Companies: las vegas review-journal
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Oh, this could be fun...
--Barack H. Obama, Esq.
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Re: Oh, this could be fun...
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Subpoena this...
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Re:
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Why not?
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Re: Why not?
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goverment bites
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Re: goverment bites
This is America for *insert religious figures name here* sake. We should be able to say whatever we want be it good or bad about the morons running this country, Democrat or Republican. They are no better than us. Let me remind you who put you there....the people you claim to serve and trying to lock up for speaking their minds. This is not China. You shouldn't look to shut out people who speak their minds.
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Unless it Liable
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There are no shield laws, no more
Oh, what fools people are, thinking the constitution actually adhered to communicating via the Internet, and thus function as a shield law.
Ah, but no, who can imagined a liberal constitution functioning as a sheild law for free speech, in a communist country?
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Re:
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Re: Re:
Some of us do.
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Re:
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http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Mar-21-Wed-2007/news/13248652.html
Here is the video footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VJ3son-ha8
Conspiracies do happen. In this specific situation they got caught but the fact that it has gone so far in this video suggests that these people have done this before.
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What is the official policy of techdirt on this?
So what is the official policy of techdirt on this? Do you store/keep IP logs? Will you turn them over if asked?
What about registered accounts? Will you turn that info over?
Please let us all know where you stand so we can know where we stand.
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Re: What is the official policy of techdirt on this?
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Re: What is the official policy of techdirt on this?
Yeah, I've noticed that Techdirt doesn't seem to have a published privacy policy. I think it's safe to assume that Techdirt builds a dossier on every registered account and will probably turn that over to whoever they want to. Registered = Sucker.
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Re: What is the official policy of techdirt on this?
Our official privacy policy is here:
https://www.insightcommunity.com/privacy.php
We will only turn over such info as a last resort if legally required to do so. However, it should be no surprise that we fight any attempts to have us hand over such info (to date, successfully).
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Re: Re: What is the official policy of techdirt on this?
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What are all these people afraid of?
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My name is Mark Dyer
I hate the US government. Come and find me you pussies.
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Re: My name is Mark Dyer
( I live in London.I hate the US government.Come and find me you pussies.)
We don't care If you like the U.S.or Not.We kick'd your sorry ass out of OUR country over 200yrs ago.So who is the Pussy??? Why would I waste my time looking for a Socialist?
I'm trying to send more of them from here to London.We could give you Obama to replace Brown.By the way,WE wand the DVD's Back that Obama gave your Queen!!!
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Re:
We have never revealed anyone's personal identifying info of any sort. Lying does not help your case.
At times, we have pointed out that multiple comments were by the same person, or taken reasonable guesses at who someone is (hi Weird Harold!), which that person will often confirm.
However, we have no information stored to identify anyone directly, so no, you are incorrect.
Please. Do not lie.
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Mike,
I must have totally missed that one! Link, please?
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Unless you don't agree with their posts, and then you have no problem posting it here.
@AC: I have no problem with identifying (as a theoretical example) someone who is claiming to be a consumer, defending the RIAA, but then who through their IP address (which is identifiable information for the website admin)
is traced to RIAA headquarters. This of course is only a theoretical example, since you remain cowardly, and refuse to site an ACTUAL or REAL WORLD example, I'll assume your statement is basically total BS. Sound fair? Good. Now STHU.
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Re:
Anonymous Pot, meet anonymous Kettle.
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Enjoy your 46 borrowed cent on the dollar while it last. Us little people out here paying the other 54 cents of your paycheck are smiling - just smiling.
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Commie Bastards
We will not stand by and see the U.S. turned into a third world dictatorship.
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