Electronic Frontier Foundation
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EFF vows FISA/TelCo fight only beginning.
The EFF released a statement on Friday concerning the recent FISA update, specifically concerning the retroactive immunity for 4th Amendment violations committed by telephone companies that cooperated with the Bush Administration during and before 9/11.
"Our long war against warrantless wiretapping has only just begun, and we will not stop until we get that legal ruling we’ve been fighting for. Wednesday we only lost a battle, not the war, and EFF’s struggle to hold the White House and the telecoms accountable for their lawbreaking will continue on multiple fronts — starting with a constitutional challenge to the immunity provisions...
While duking it out over immunity in the courts, EFF will also continue its fight in Washington, working in the next session of Congress — a Congress likely to be much different in its composition than today’s, and working with a different president — to wipe the stain of the FAA’s immunity provisions off the books." The EFF released a statement on Friday concerning the recent FISA update, specifically concerning the retroactive immunity for 4th Ame... more -
Student bloggers need to know their rights
Been reprimanded for your site? Are schools allowed to punish you for what is not on there website, property and has no affiliation with the at all?
Pew Internet and American Life Project's studies tell that 38 percent of online teens read a blog and 19 percent of teens, approximately four million students, keep one. A separate Pew study said 68 percent of teenagers have used the Internet at school.
Schools usually have jurisdiction over school-hosted or school-sponsored publications, such as school newspapers or school blogs. Students have more protection and can express themselves more openly on a personal blog.
Personal blogs allow students to inform others of their opinions about fellow students, teachers and school district as a whole. Although schools do not have jurisdiction on personal blogs, schools may still challenge them.
In Emmett v. Kent School District, the court ruled that the public Kent School District's officials had violated a student's First Amendment rights by punishing the student for his personal Web site. The court held that "the speech was entirely outside of the school's supervision or control."
In Flaherty v. Keystone Oaks School District, a federal court found a public school's policy, which prohibited "inappropriate, harassing, offensive or abusive" behavior, was unconstitutional because "the policy could be read by school officials to cover speech that occurs off school premises and that is not related to any school activity in an arbitrary manner."
When schools win from suing students for what they say on the Internet, it is usually because of the Tinker Test, or "material disruption."
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the "material disruption" standard says that your free-speech rights can be limited when the speech "materially disrupts classwork or involves substantial disorder or invasion of rights of others." Therefore, if you blog about how you hate a teacher, the school may claim that it is materially disrupting classwork.
If you have been punished for your personal Web site or your school has ordered students to stop blogging about school, the EFF advises that you contact them and a lawyer. The EFF says a "blanket ban" would violate your First Amendment rights.
What can you do on your personal blog? There is a lot you can do, such as write an online fiction like an anonymous person. However, it does not mean your school would be happy with it. Your First, Fourth, and Eighth amendment rights will be helpful. If you insult your school teachers and administrators, be wary of how you do it.
The common saying "think before you act" can be great advice because not only do schools visit your Web site, colleges and universities may look at it.
Here's some advice:
Do not create nor visit your site on school property, the school's Internet connection, nor during school time. Also, if you bring a copy of the site onto the school campus or event you may be permitting the school to have jurisdiction.
On your Web site, when applies, say all of the following: "This site is not affiliated with any school and/or organization." "Warning Advice: [insert Web site] is not responsible for you visiting this site. Please do not visit it at [insert your school district]. Do not permit this site to disrupt classwork and/or cause substantial disorder." Been reprimanded for your site? Are schools allowed to punish you for what is not on there website, property and has no affiliation wi... more -
Stand Up For Your Rights, Proof It Works: FBI Backs Off From Secret Order for Data...
In this Washington Post article they state that this is the third time the FBI backed off. I know they are trying to protect the USA and are probably under White House orders, but enough is enough! Why can't the FBI stand up for our rights as well? They're there to protect and serve. Not protect and serve madmen that believe the Constitution is "...only a piece of paper." (there may have been an expletive there in that quote from a high ranking person in the white house, I have not researched the authenticity of that!)
What I'm saying is that the US Government should not be trying to find every which way to remove and step all over our rights. The police, the FBI, the CIA all should have the guts to say: Enough is enough, we will not destroy the Constitution, so play by the rules or go to jail! In this Washington Post article they state that this is the third time the FBI backed off. I know they are trying to protect the USA ... more -
CIA = LIE Part 2: Lies Permeate Our Government
Here's an interesting Op Ed from the NY Times today written by Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton who served as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the 9/11 commission. It's about how the newspaper asked the CIA numerous times for information after the law was put into effect to release all information about these serious attacks on America.
Don't get me wrong, I love my country as I love my wife. But the lies and deceitfulness incorporated into many facets of our Government needs to be stopped dead in its tracks.
Lies from the city, county, state governments to lies on Capital Hill. Lies that put people in prisons, Lies that keep people in prisons, Lies that keep people below poverty level, lies, lies and lies. Lies about our Social Security system AND Numbers. The old SS Cards had a disclaimer on the bottom that said: The SS# Will never be used for Identification purposes.
Now we are merely a number with our government. Furthermore, the SS system is unfortunately broken. Another major lie is that SS helps people after retirement or if they are disabled. Some, but not all that deserve it.
Lies.
This CIA bit really brings out the problem the people of our country need to address when the votes start. We need to lobby for laws making lies by our government officials a major felony without any pardoning (look at the Valery Plame case, what a crock that turned out to be with 'Scooter' getting pardoned!) We need to clean up the governments act and hold people responsible for their lies. On every level of government. Lies from a prosecuting attorney to get someone convicted? Give that attorney the max the law provides for the crime he was prosecuting. A rule/law like this for every level in government would almost stop the lies. Lets call it the SLAM law: Stop Lies in America More
Read the article and comment back on how we can clean our government up. It's all summed up in the last paragraph there.....
"What we do know is that government officials decided not to inform a lawfully constituted body, created by Congress and the president, to investigate one the greatest tragedies to confront this country. We call that obstruction."
I call it a terrible and destructive evil that is tearing our Government apart.
Here's an interesting Op Ed from the NY Times today written by Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton who served as chairman and vice chai... more -
Judge Orders Telecommunications Companies to Preserve Evidence in Government Surve...
Ruling Advances EFF's Class-action Lawsuit Against AT&T
San Francisco - A federal judge today ruled on a preservation motion filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), ordering that telecommunications companies must preserve any evidence of collaborating with the government in illegal spying on ordinary Americans.
In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ordered the telecommunications companies to halt any routine destruction of documents or to arrange for the preservation of accurate copies. On December 14, each party must provide the court with confirmation that the court's order has been carried out. The court order did not require the government or the carriers to reveal whether or not they had any relevant evidence.
The government and the carriers had opposed the preservation motion, claiming that the government's invocation of the state secrets privilege made it impossible to proceed with a preservation order. In litigation, parties are typically required to preserve all relevant evidence.
For the judge's order:
http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/att/393%20order.pdf
For more on the class-action lawsuit against AT&T:
http://www.eff.org/cases/att Ruling Advances EFF's Class-action Lawsuit Against AT&T ... more
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