tagged w/ Warrantless
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![Kim DotCom [MegaUpload] case sees tears, claims of betrayal](http://i2.crtcdn1.net/images/spacer.gif)
Kim DotCom isn't too big to cry.
In court yesterday, the MegaUpload founder choked up when he recalled how New Zealand police in January raided the Auckland mansion where he lived and when, as his lawyer, said he was "ripped him away from his family." The U.S. Attorney's office accuses MegaUpload of being a front for a massive piracy operation and lawyers there are trying to extradite him to this country to face criminal copyright, money laundering and wire fraud charges.
MegaUpload was one of the Web's most popular cyberlocker services before U.S. authorities shut it down. The U.S. government is trying to send a message that turning a blind eye to piracy can land site operators in jail. Critics say U.S officials are overreaching and at most the case is a civil dispute.
Back in court, as DotCom was tearing up, his lawyers seethed. DotCom, who has denied being a pirate, was in a New Zealand courtroom Wednesday seeking a judicial review of the search warrants served on him and MegaUpload. His attorneys argued that New Zealand authorities illegally seized data that wasn't relevant to the case and DotCom wants some of his possessions returned, according to Ira Rothken, the U.S.-based lawyer leading DotCom's worldwide defense.
But that's only one part of the U.S. government effort that has angered the DotCom side. According to Rothken, when DotCom's lawyers asked authorities to give them a copy of the data taken from him, they learned that New Zealand officials had shipped the information to the FBI for analysis.
Paul Davison, DotCom's lead attorney in New Zealand, told the media that he was assured by authorities that none of the data seized would leave the country without warning. Without the data, DotCom can't properly defend himself, his attorneys argue, and they feel betrayed.
"The court will determine whether the United States and New Zealand had the authorization to remove data from New Zealand absent a court order," Rothken told CNET. "This is a serious international issue and we believe it requires proportional remedy... It seems as though the United States is trying to win on tactics rather than on merits."
Some of the data seized from DotCom's personal computers was also encrypted and authorities have asked him for the passwords. He has refused to hand them over.
"On certain conditions, Kim DotCom would consider supplying them," Rothken said. "But not when data was secreted away from New Zealand, away from a New Zealand court and judicial supervision. His password on some of the data is his only protection against unreasonable intrusion."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57440794-93/kim-dotcom-case-sees-tears-claims-of-betrayal/
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This is going to be a significant case for the future of communication and privacy laws, if anybody cares...Kim DotCom isn't too big to cry.
In court yesterday, the MegaUpload founder... more
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While the government continues to defend its warrantless wiretapping program -- despite it being found illegal and prone to serious privacy violations -- the latest report on official wiretaps that did receive a warrant shows not only that they were way up in 2009, but that not a single request for a warrant to wiretap was turned down. Not a single one. Now, admittedly, these are different types of wiretaps: by the police, mostly for drug cases, rather than the feds for terrorism cases. But it does suggest that the judicial system is pretty open to approving wiretap requests, and still makes us wonder why the government keeps insisting that actually getting a warrant -- as is required by the law -- is too much to ask in many cases.While the government continues to defend its warrantless wiretapping program --... more
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Students Spied On With School Issued Laptops
The scandal surrounding kids being spied on at home via webcams in laptops provided by schools extends further than just schoolchildren – four years ago Google admitted that it was implementing similar invasive surveillance technologies that would target all Americans.
Parents! Americans!!! You Must See this... Full Story On how You are Being Spied upon ... No Warrant needed....http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/big-brother-spying-on-your-children-through-their-laptops-covertly-monitoring-families-in-their-homes/
A school district in Philadelphia faces a class action lawsuit after it allegedly issued laptop computers to 1,800 students across two high schools and then used concealed cameras within the machines to spy on students and their parents without their knowledge or consent.Students Spied On With School Issued Laptops
The scandal surrounding kids being... more
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Ever since it became clear that running a P2P links site is not a crime in Spain, music anti-piracy group SGAE have threatened civil action. Yesterday the admin of two P2P sites had a home visit by members of SGAE, who took advantage of the admin’s legal naivety and conducted a search of his property without a suitable warrant.Ever since it became clear that running a P2P links site is not a crime in Spain,... more
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Hackers are traditionally viewed as renegade computer nerds wreaking havoc on innocent citizens, but a lot of hackers are do-it-yourself (DIY) electricians, programmers, security consultants and artists who may operate in grey areas yet to be defined by law.
Hacker Ethic is a provocative feature documentary that explores the politics and culture of the latest generation of hackers.
Although hackers vary in range from being total social misfits to high-tech entrepreneurs, their independence is in the same spirit that pioneered this country. Their skills have driven them to test the ethical boundaries of ownership, security, privacy and censorship.
News coverage is mired with the election, terrorists and wars. Trendy court cases and publicity-driven appearances cause judicial gridlock. All of which dominate prime-time news. In the meantime, domestic conversations about how technology is forging ahead of our laws are brimming under the public’s radar in heated, constitutional debates.
This film aims to cover the debates and culture clambering on the cutting edge of emerging technologies. Hackers are traditionally viewed as renegade computer nerds wreaking havoc on innocent... more
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The Senate Wednesday approved a bill to put new rules in place for intelligence agency eavesdropping on suspected terrorists.
Communication technologies like mobile phones have made the 1978 FISA bill out of date, supporters say.
The bill also effectively protects telephone companies from being sued for cooperating with a government surveillance program launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. The White House pushed hard for the provision, with a threat to veto the bill if it did not contain protection for phone companies.
The vote was 69-28, with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois voting in favor. Republican candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona was not present for the vote.
President Bush said Wednesday afternoon he will sign the bill, calling it "vital" and "long overdue." Watch Bush praise the new FISA bill »
The bill, formally known as the FISA Amendments Act, updates the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It will:
Require the secret court set up to oversee FISA to review the surveillance of any targeted American whether the person is in the United States or abroad;
Provide for the FISA court to sign off on procedures for removing the name of any American inadvertently captured in a communication with a foreign target;
Prohibit reverse targeting, which is when intelligence officials eavesdrop on a foreigner's communications overseas as a means to spy on someone in the United States.
Close a loophole by explicitly establishing the 1978 law as the exclusive means for authorizing electronic surveillance;
Set up a procedure for federal judges to determine whether a telecommunications company can be sued for providing the intelligence community access to its networks without a court order.
The bill essentially grants immunity to the telecommunication companies, the opponents said, because all of the telephone carriers received government certifications saying their participation in the program was legal.
Obama was criticized for backing away from his early opposition to the bill by liberal bloggers and individuals commenting on his campaign Web site.
Before voting for the bill, Obama voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut, that would have stripped the language granting immunity to telecommunications companies.
Civil liberties groups have vowed to fight the legislation in court.
"This fight is not over. We intend to challenge this bill as soon as President Bush signs it into law," Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU National Security Project, said in a statement issued minutes after the Senate approved the bill. "The bill allows the warrantless and dragnet surveillance of Americans' international telephone and e-mail communications. It plainly violates the Fourth Amendment."
President Bush acknowledged in 2005 that he ordered the secretive National Security Agency to intercept communications between U.S. residents and people overseas suspected of having ties to terrorism. The administration says the program was authorized when Congress approved military action against al Qaeda after the 2001 attacks.
The Senate Wednesday approved a bill to put new rules in place for intelligence agency... more
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Don't be fool by the new FISA wiretapping bill. It's still pretty much does the same thing as the old bill, violate the 4th amendment.Don't be fool by the new FISA wiretapping bill. It's still pretty much does... more
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"US lawmakers have passed a bill to shield telephone companies who helped in the White House's controversial warrantless wiretaps programme.
The bill also grants the US government the power to continue with its warrantless surveillance scheme.
The Bush administration faced criticism when details emerged of its programme to monitor the phone calls of foreign targets in the US without warrants.
President Bush said the scheme was needed to prevent attacks on the US.
Telephone companies were facing as many as 40 lawsuits for their involvement in the scheme."
--BBC World News
It is also said that this bill is likely to pass in the Senate as well."US lawmakers have passed a bill to shield telephone companies who helped in the... more
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