EFF Sues Over National Security Letters... But Can't Tell You Who Its Clients Are
from the because-secrecy dept
The ridiculous (and most likely illegal) gag orders around widely abused "National Security Letters" (NSLs) is pretty widely known. It's created absurd situations in which companies have had to go to court secretly without being able to admit that they were fighting on behalf of their users, except in rare cases where the gags are finally lifted.Well, here we go again, as the EFF has challenged NSLs issued to two separate companies -- one telco and one internet company. However, because of the gag orders, EFF isn't even allowed to say who its clients are in these filings.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed two briefs on Friday challenging secret government demands for information known as National Security Letters (NSLs) with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The briefs—one filed on behalf of a telecom company and another for an Internet company—remain under seal because the government continues to insist that even identifying the companies involved might endanger national security.We have yet to see any good reason for why the government can claim that the mere fact that a company has received a National Security Letter needs to be classified.
While the facts surrounding the specific companies and the NSLs they are challenging cannot be disclosed, their legal positions are already public: the NSL statute is a violation of the First Amendment as well as the constitutional separation of powers.
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Filed Under: eff, first amendment, gag order, nsl, secrecy
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I'm not sure I know what you meant to say there... is this it?
what you actually said (after pulling apart the convoluted grammar) was,
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If you're here to pick grammar nits, then please leave. But if you must stay, there's a mismatched copula in the first sentence that doesn't seem to have bothered you.
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If there is a minor grammar or spelling error on TD, then TD has no credibility and can safely be dismissed as a bunch of thieving pirate kids and labeled as 'pirate central' facilitators, enablers and 'piracy apologists'.
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We have yet to see
>any good reason for why
>>the government can claim
>>>that the mere fact
>>>>that a company has received a National Security Letter
>>>Needs to be classified
Does not exist (evidence supporting (government claim "item needs classification"))
In fact, I'm having a little trouble figuring out how you managed to parse this any other way.
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Ask anyone who has lived in a police state. I think history has plenty of examples. Why would this newly forming police state be different?
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Classified...
Diplomacy, Policing, & Court should NEVER be allowed to EVER be Classified and neither should a Judge be able to issue a GAG order unless it is Military or Foreign covert operations in nature.
Every problem the government has with its citizenry or vice versa should be a matter of public record PERIOD! Any kinda of secret enforcement policy can be used to remove you of any and all rights without recourse by any over zealous official.
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Re: Classified...
The MPAA / RIAA is given power to classify information as top secret. After all, the global economy is at stake.
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Clearly you don't give a damn about your rights, and that's fine.
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They do not, however, have a right to tell others what they can or cannot care about :)
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Apple v. Does - https://www.eff.org/cases/apple-v-does
EFF defended online journalists and their rights to protect the confidentiality of sources as offline reporters do.
Online Policy Group v. Diebold - https://www.eff.org/cases/online-policy-group-v-diebold
EFF protected online speakers by bringing the first successful suit against abusive copyright claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Bernstein v. US Department of Justice - https://www.eff.org/cases/bernstein-v-us-dept-justice
EFF established that computer code is speech and shielded the developers of privacy-protecting software from government censorship.
Steve Jackson Games v. Secret Service Case Archive - https://www.eff.org/cases/steve-jackson-games-v-secret-service-case-archive
EFF set one of the first precedents protecting computer communications from unwarranted government invasion.
MGM v. Grokster - https://www.eff.org/cases/mgm-v-grokster
EFF defended the right of innovators to build new technologies without begging Hollywood's permission first.
Sony BMG Litigation Info - https://www.eff.org/cases/sony-bmg-litigation-info
EFF held Sony BMG accountable for infecting its customers' computers with software that created grave security vulnerabilities and let the company spy on listening behavior.
USA v. Pen Register (Cellphone Tracking Cases) - https://www.eff.org/cases/cellphone-tracking-cases-usa-v-pen-register
EFF fought the government's attempts to track the location of a mobile phone user without sufficient evidence.
ALA v. FCC - https://www.eff.org/cases/ala-v-fcc
EFF established that the FCC and Hollywood don't control your TiVo - you do.
ACLU v. Reno II - https://www.eff.org/cases/aclu-v-reno-ii
EFF extended free speech protections online, successfully challenging the constitutionality of Internet censorship laws.
(post will probably be delayed for moderation with the number of URLs, but no big deal)
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Possible reason....
The reason to keep the organization that receives a National Security Letter secret is that if the "target" uses that company and found out that they had just received a NSL then they would;
1. Know we were tracking them
2. Stop using that company
3. Stop using that method of communication, bank account, brand of toothpaste
[O.K. maybe not that last one.... maybe.]
Normally we [the government] would only keep this information classified ['gagged'] until we brought the perpetrator to justice [filed a case in a court of law]. New terrorist threat models [government speak for ignoring the constitution] require us to continually collect intelligence on existing and emerging threats [ a.k.a. people we know are bad, people we think might be bad someday, and people we just don't like, heck everyone just to be safe]. Contrary to terrorist apologists [a.k.a. people who care about the constitution] these National Security Letter recipient non disclosure [gag] orders are not permanent, nor unending. Recipients are free to discuss them, once the terrorist threats to the country have been eliminated [so that would be just like the legal term for copyright limits, forever minus one day].
See, that wasn't do hard to understand was it....[I think I need a mental shower now]?
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Re: Possible reason....
The founding fathers set up this nation and its liberties knowing and watching that whole towns could be, would be, or where burning down around their ankles, yet they did not bend over and blast liberty out of their ass so they could protect us from those pesky terrorists!
Any "Wise" person would know that human kind has been reasoning with each other and twisting words since the beginning of time to justify all manner of evil that can be conceived. NSL, Secrets, & Classified are all born of these "reasonings"!
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Re: Re: Possible reason....
I just proposed a possible reason for those people who say that couldn't think of any reason why the government thought it was a good idea.
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Stop feeding the trolls.
Just downvote and ignore. Otherwise, it will continue to get worse.
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Re: Stop feeding the trolls.
In the name of freedom I would rather wade through troves to trolls than to be silenced as a troll myself. I have been called a troll myself because I felt that strongly about some subjects.
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A government of the people...
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Duh.
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