warrantless
etc: A federal appeals court has ruled that the US government cannot protect the identity of lobbyists in a case stemming from the government’s…
A federal appeals court has ruled that the US government cannot protect the identity of lobbyists in a case stemming from the government’s warrantless wiretapping. Read More: The EFF
Continue reading »EFF, ACLU Vows to Appeal Dismissal of Warrantless Wiretapping Case
It’s been a very long battle between civil rights groups and the NSA, but after all this long and drawn out battle, it appears as though civil rights organizations have experienced a setback in the warrantless wiretapping cases going on in the United States. Still, the battle is far from over as they have vowed to appeal the dismissal in the 9th circuit court of appeals. If one were to go clear back into June of 2008, the month that saw the passage of the Protect America Act , that still doesn’t even get close to the beginning of this whole ordeal (you’d have to go clear back to when Mark Klein blew the whistle on AT&T clear back in 2007 (many argue that the case goes even further back over a report in the New York Times).
Continue reading »Wiretap suits against telecoms thrown out
Chief judge Vaughn Walker (right), of California’s Northern District, threw out dozens of cases brought against a host of telecom companies ( pdf ) , ruling the plaintiffs couldn’t overcome a law passed last summer granting retroactive immunity to companies that helped the government. “He also ruled in favor of the government in another case and put a stop to efforts by five states to investigate the telecom companies,” says Law.com . Telecommunications companies have immunity from liability under the controversial FISA Amendments Act (FISAAA), say the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) California and Illinois affiliates, and the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), who are to appeal the decision to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing FISAAA is unconstitutional.
Continue reading »European Greens Want to Legalize File-Sharing
The European Greens , which consists of many national Green political parties throughout Europe, currently hold 42 seats in the European parliament and aim to increase this number for the next term. While the Pirate Party in Sweden received much press coverage for defending The Pirate Bay and sites alike, the Greens were already doing the same thing in the European Parliament. In 2008 the Greens launched a pro-filesharing campaign named “ I Wouldn’t Steal ”.
Continue reading »Warrantless surveillance lawsuit thrown out
Federal district judge Vaughn Walker has rejected lawsuits that aimed to hold telecommunications companies accountable for their role in a controversial warrantless surveillance program that was orchestrated in secret by the federal government. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union are preparing to appeal the dismissal. The warrantless surveillance program is one the more contentious controversies that still lingers from Bush’s tenure in office.
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