Microsoft and Google Challenge US Government Gag Orders 115
First time accepted submitter ace37 writes "Microsoft says it plans to move ahead with a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government in June to affirm the right of businesses to disclose limited information about government demands for data made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In separate legal filings, Microsoft and Google challenged the gag order that typically accompanies FISA demands for customer data. The two companies asserted that they have a First Amendment right to publish the total number of FISA requests received and the total number of user accounts covered by such requests."
Re:Too little, too late... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Here's hoping... (Score:5, Informative)
You haven't been keeping up with all the news have you. It's understandable, considering how much is out there.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130805/10035024070/dea-not-only-gets-intelligence-data-then-is-instructed-to-cover-up-where-it-gets-info.shtml [techdirt.com]
Short summary: The NSA gives DEA agents "anonymous tips" on which vehicles to "randomly" stop. This is never mentioned in court.
Here's another one.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130829/16135324356/court-says-feds-dont-have-to-reveal-secret-evidence-it-gathered-against-terror-suspect-using-fisa.shtml [techdirt.com]
This time it's the courts saying that they don't have to show the evidence to the defendant or his lawyers. Not exactly the justice they taught in high school civics.
Re:Let's see the others (Score:5, Informative)
Go ahead, convince us its better where you live.
Get real...
I live in Denmark, I have yet to hear about no-fly-lists, warrantless wiretapping exists only if
1) waiting for a court order would imply loss of opportunity, however, the case must be presented
before the courts within 24 hours.
2) we're in a state of war, then the minister of defense can with authorize warrantless wiretapping.
Source, answer by minister of justice (Danish):
http://www.ft.dk/samling/20101/almdel/reu/spm/381/svar/762713/928490/index.htm [www.ft.dk]?
I'm not familiar with any secret courts, and seriously doubt that the European Court of Human Rights,
to which my government answers, would look favorably upon secret courts.
Also I'm pretty sure the intelligence services don't have authority to kill people, not foreign citizen, not Danish citizens,
they don't even have the authority to help the American intelligence services commit murder, meaning sharing intelligence
that would lead to murder, is not allowed...
Looking a internet logging, the ISPs are required to log a lot of data, ie. every 20th session or so, by log I mean time and IPs not content.
However, these cannot be accessed without court order, and are held by the ISPs not the agencies that would want to query them.