Feds Subpoena Twitter Seeking Information on Ex-WikiLeaks Volunteer

[Joanne98]

Source: Wired

The U.S. Justice Department has served Twitter with a subpoena seeking information on an Icelandic lawmaker who has worked with WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, the lawmaker told Threat Level on Friday.

“I got the letter from Twitter a couple of hours ago, saying I got 10 days to stop it,” wrote Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland’s parliament, in an e-mail. “Looking for legal ways to do it. Will be talking to lawyers from EFF tonight.”

EFF refers to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit civil liberties group in the United States.

On her Twitter feed, Jonsdottir said the government is seeking an archive of tweets she sent out since Nov. 1, 2009 as well as “personal information” for her account.



Read more: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/birgitta-jonsdottir/

[DeSwiss]

1. And the US government's stupidity parade marches on...... K&R - n/t

[Downwinder]

2. Didn't realize a U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia was a

"court of competent jurisdiction" over Iceland.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Bullies

US Bullies...sheesh!

[molly77]

4. Wonder how twitter will react to fascists.

[bluesmail]

5. K&R for EFF

[pmorlan1]

6. Good Grief

I guess we should be thankful that they at least issued a subpoena instead of just accessing the information on their own.

[Hissyspit]

7. U.S. Tells Twitter to Hand Over WikiLeaks Supporter's Messages

Source: Guardian

US tells Twitter to hand over WikiLeaks supporter's messages
Icelandic MP to fight attempts by the US department of justice to access her private information

Dominic Rushe in New York
The Guardian, Sat 8 Jan 2011 00.32 GMT

A member of parliament in Iceland who is also a former WikiLeaks volunteer says the US justice department has ordered Twitter to hand over her private messages.

Birgitta Jonsdottir, an MP for the Movement in Iceland, said last night on Twitter that the "USA government wants to know about all my tweets and more since november 1st 2009. Do they realize I am a member of parliament in Iceland?"

She said she was starting a legal fight to stop the US getting hold of her messages, after being told by Twitter that a subpoena had been issued. She wrote: "department of justice are requesting twitter to provide the info – I got 10 days to stop it via legal process before twitter hands it over."

She said the justice department was "just sending a message and of course they are asking for a lot more than just my tweets."

Read more: http://m.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/08/us-twitter-hand-icelandic-wikileaks-messages?cat=media&type=article

[gateley]

8. I literally gasped when I read the subject line, hissyspit. This is what I'd expect from Bushco. nt

[villager]

17. Sadly, it's what we're coming to expect from this administration, too

n/t

[gateley]

20. I hold out hope so I don't expect it, but I'm sure not surprised any more. nt

[sabrina 1]

33. We had a warning when Sen. Obama flip-flopped on the FISA bill.

There were many signs I suppose, but with the eight years of Bush as a backdrop, people wanted to believe and we wrongfully as it turns out, ignored the signs.

[Hissyspit]

36. wikileaks: Note that we can assume Google & Facebook also have secret US government subpeonas. They

Twitter:

wikileaks: Note that we can assume Google & Facebook also have secret US government subpeonas. They make no comment. Did they fold?

[RedSock]

41. well, we are in his third term (eom)

[EFerrari]

9. Started this earlier as Greg posted stuff to his blog:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x133699

[Hissyspit]

13. Have K&R'd you:

8:05 The Iceland MP talks to The Guardian:  "Jonsdottir told the Guardian she was demanding a meeting with the US ambassador to Iceland. 'The justice department has gone completely over the top,' she said."

And now Jacob Appelbaum, recent visitor to Iceland,  tweets:  "Do not send me Direct Messages - My twitter account contents have apparently been invited to the (presumably-Grand Jury) in Alexandria."  And:  "To be directly clear - I hear that my account information has been subpoenaed."

[lib_wit_it]

10. Don't worry, the Tea Party won't stand for this if they try to use it on US citizens!

:sarcasm:
:sarcasm:
:sarcasm:
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:sarcasm:
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:sarcasm:

[gateley]

22. The sincere members of the Tea Party wouldn't - but sadly they no longer have

the backing of the Koch Kabal.

[glinda]

37. I just heard Michele Bachman's voice screeching.

[lib_wit_it]

39. Or was it Sarah Palin's shrieking?

[Kali]

11. couldn't they just sign up and "follow" her?

:wtf:

[AsahinaKimi]

12. There isn't that much personal information

On Twitter, its not like Facebook where you type out your whole life story. I don't understand, so they want a bunch of tweets that are anti US government, and people who support (at least in ideology) Wikileaks. I mean seriously, has the US become the Chinese Government? Whats next? Ban Twitter and Facebook? :wtf:

[bhikkhu]

18. Yes, it look more like Cheney-style intimidation tactics

Why demand private communications? To let you know they can get anything you say and do, which is little more than primitive bullying. I can't even imagine an individual in government thinking this is right; it almost has the be some kind of pathological group-think which really needs to stop.

[bhikkhu]

19. dupe

[Soylent Brice]

14. K&R

[Downwinder]

15. Déjà vu?

Nazi fury at Hitler the paw-raising dog

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/07/nazi-fury-hitler-dog?INTCMP=SRCH

[villager]

16. US subpoenas Twitter for accounts of two Wikileaks volunteers

Source: BoingBoing

The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly served Twitter with subpoenas related to the legal matters involving Wikileaks and Bradley Manning. One of these targeted Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland's parliament who has worked with WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange. The other, Wikileaks volunteer Jake Appelbaum, according to a statement published by Appelbaum on Twitter today.

Public tweets are of course available to anyone, but the request presumably aims at obtaining private direct message contents, and other personal data associated with the account.

A Twitter spokesperson tells Boing Boing the company will not comment on specific legal requests, "But, to help users protect their rights, it's our policy to notify users about law enforcement and governmental requests for their information, unless we are prevented by law from doing so. We outline this policy in our law enforcement guidelines."

From Threat Level:

I got the letter from Twitter a couple of hours ago, saying I got 10 days to stop it," wrote Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland's parliament, in an e-mail. "Looking for legal ways to do it. Will be talking to lawyers from EFF tonight."

<snip>

Read more: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/07/report-us-subpoenas.html

---

Your "hope and change" government in action....

[Hissyspit]

21. wikileaks: There are many WikiLeaks supporters listed in the US Twitter subpoena.

[gateley]

23. I feel like contacting the DOJ and saying I support WikiLeaks, come and get me. nt

[Downwinder]

25. Same here. Additionally jail would be a standard of living improvement. n/t

[gateley]

28. And we'd have health care - which I don't have now. nt

[villager]

24. "Are you now, or have you ever been...?" Has this administration, at last, no sense of decency?

:shrug:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

42. "...a member of the Commentist party?"

Twitter? Really?

[Bragi]

26. The clear message here is one of intimidation

The obvious intent of the government is to intimidate anyone who might be contemplating leaking any materials to Wikileaks, or even supporting Wikileaks.

It is the same kind of mindset that created the Patriot (Sic) Act.

I expect the administration will soon label Wikileaks a criminal organization of some sort, and try to criminalize supporting it.

That's the logical next step. That and the suspension of First Amendment rights because of the now-permanent security crisis.

[Desertrose]

34. We are now the enemy. nt

[Dappleganger]

27. Intimidation and bullying

are not befitting a democracy.

Unfortunately I believe ours has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

[The Second Stone]

29. If only they went after Al Queda with as much zeal

we would discover that Al Queda are a bunch of deluded tools secretly funded by the dogs of war that make munitions and run private security companies.

[EFerrari]

30. And Cheney is still free.

Disgusting.

[Hissyspit]

31. Greenwald: "Serious Escalation;" Plus Full Subpoena PDF...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x135461

[truth2power]

32. My, oh my! Isn't that interesting, how Obama's Justice Dept. can be so diligent...

leaving no stone unturned when it comes to persecuting er...I mean prosecuting an individual who threatens to disclose the crimes of the Wall Street banksters.

On the other hand, when it comes to meting out justice to the Cheney/Bush war criminals responsible for the deaths of millions, well, we have to look forward, doncha know. :puke:

I can hardly stand to look at Obama anymore. Sickening!

[glinda]

38. Total unveiling of all of our Government being the same.

[frylock]

35. eric fucking holder ladies and gentlmens..

dick cheney wept.....

[cal04]

40. WikiLeaks: US demanding our Twitter account info

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110108/ap_on_hi_te/wikileaks

U.S. officials have issued a subpoena to demand details about WikiLeaks' Twitter account, the group announced Saturday, adding that it suspected other American Internet companies were also being ordered to hand over information about its activities.

In a statement, WikiLeaks said U.S. investigators had gone to the San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. to demand the private messages, contact information and other personal details of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and other supporters, including the U.S. Army intelligence analyst suspected of handing classified information to the site and a high-profile Icelandic parliamentarian.

WikiLeaks blasted the court order, saying it amounted to harassment.

"If the Iranian government was to attempt to coercively obtain this information from journalists and activists of foreign nations, human rights groups around the world would speak out," Assange said in the statement.

[Robb]

43. The wording of the headline has panicked a few folks.

Twitter appears to have complied, in exchange for being allowed to tell its users it did so.

Quite a game.