access

[DeeDee Halleck]

*Privacy Loses in Twitter/Wikileaks Records Battle**Ruling Allows U.S.
Government Warrantless Access to Users' Data

*San Francisco - A district court judge in Virginia ruled against online
privacy today, allowing U.S federal investigators to collect private
records of three Twitter users as part of its investigation related to
Wikileaks. The judge also blocked the users' attempt to discover whether
other Internet companies have been ordered to turn their data over to the
government.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) represent Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir in
this case. Jonsdottir has appealed an earlier ruling with fellow Twitter
users Jacob Appelbaum and Rop Gonggrijp.

"With this decision, the court is telling all users of online tools hosted
in the U.S. that the U.S. government will have secret access to their
data," said Jonsdottir. "People around the world will take note, and since
they can easily move their data to companies who host it in locations that
better protect their privacy than the U.S. does, I expect that many will do
so. I am very disappointed in today's ruling because it is a huge backward
step for the United States' legacy of freedom of expression and the right
to privacy."

In this case, Jonsdottir and others only found out about the government
requests for information because Twitter took steps to notify them of the
court order. EFF is urging other companies to follow Twitter's lead, stand
with their customers, and promise to inform users when their data is sought
by the government, as part of our Who Has Your Back? campaign.

"When you use the Internet, you entrust your online conversations,
thoughts, experiences, locations, photos, and more to dozens of companies
who host or transfer your data," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn. "In
light of that technological reality, we are gravely worried by the court's
conclusion that records about you that are collected by Internet services
like Twitter, Facebook, Skype and Google are fair game for warrantless
searches by the government."

Attorneys for Jonsdottir are Aden Fine of the ACLU, Rebecca Glenberg of the
ACLU of Virginia, and Cindy Cohn, Lee Tien, Marcia Hofmann and Kevin
Bankston of EFF. The motions were joined by attorneys from the law firm
Keker & Van Nest LLP and the Law Office of John D. Cline on behalf of
Appelbaum and Gonggrijp, respectively, as well as local counsel in
Virginia. Jonsdottir, Appelbaum, and Gonggrijp are still reviewing the
order and considering possible next steps.

For the judge's full order:
https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/filenode/MemorandumOpinion1353.pdf

For Who Has Your Back?:
https://www.eff.org/pages/when-government-comes-knocking-who-has-your-back

Contacts:

Rebecca Jeschke
Media Relations Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
press at eff.org
Privacy <https://www.eff.org/press/releases//issues/privacy>

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