Google Forced To Give User Data To FBI In Closed-Door Ruling
Web-world king, Google (in addition to other internet companies that didn't fight this in court), is officially being forced to provide private user data to the FBI, in a warrant-less commandeering of information using NSLs or "National Security Letters." U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston ruled that the FBI could use 19 of these NSLs to obtain information, in a reversal of a ruling in 2007 by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero that denied the FBI this ability.
The 2001 law requires Internet service providers and any other type of communication provider--including telephone companies--to comply with secret "national security letters" from the FBI. Those letters can ask for information about subscribers--including home addresses, what telephone calls were made, e-mail subject lines and logs of what Web sites were visited."All but the most mettlesome and undaunted NSL recipients would consider themselves effectively barred from consulting an attorney or anyone else who might advise them otherwise," Marrero concluded, "as well as bound to absolute silence about the existence of the NSL...For the reasonable NSL recipient confronted with the NSL's mandatory language and the FBI's conduct related to the NSL, resistance is not a viable option."
Of course that prior ruling is moot anyway, as all of the despicable politicians that voted for the renewal of the Patriot Act (the most ironically named Act in the history of the United States) had already put NSLs right back into place. Thanks, representatives!
CNET has learned that U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco rejected Google's request to modify or throw out 19 so-called National Security Letters, a warrantless electronic data-gathering technique used by the FBI that does not need a judge's approval. Her ruling came after a pair of top FBI officials, including an assistant director, submitted classified affidavits.The litigation taking place behind closed doors in Illston's courtroom -- a closed-to-the-public hearing was held on May 10 -- could set new ground rules curbing the FBI's warrantless access to information that Internet and other companies hold on behalf of their users. The FBI issued 192,499 of the demands from 2003 to 2006, and 97 percent of NSLs include a mandatory gag order.
The mandatory gag order was one of the main reasons that Marrero banned the practice in the first place, as those affected couldn't even hire a lawyer to represent them, but again, this is something Illston and our reps in D.C. don't seem to care about. It's always lovely that these rulings come in closed-door sessions so that the American public has no idea how their rights are being stripped from them, or why.
Because of the extreme secrecy requirements, documents in the San Francisco case remain almost entirely under seal. Even Google's identity is redacted from Illston's four-page opinion, which was dated May 20 and remained undisclosed until now. But, citing initial filings, Bloomberg disclosed last month that it was Google that had initiated the legal challenge.
Secret documents in secret courtrooms with mostly redacted secret rulings. It's nice to know that our web information, browsing habits, user data, etc. is fully the property of the U.S. Government just like our phone records are. AMERICA, BABY!Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
