The US Department of Justice has subpoenaed from Twitter the private emails of former Wikileaks activist Birgitt Jonsdottir, now a member of Iceland"s parliament. She tweeted, SUSA government wants to know about all my tweets and more since november 1st 2009. Do they realize I am a member of parliament in Iceland?
If Twitter complies with this order without a legal battle (and Jonsdottir will wage her own), then in my view it should make us all rethink mortgaging our liberties to American social media, technology and finance companies that are lapdogs of the government. Apple deleted the Wikileaks app for iPhone and iPad even though reading leaked US government cables is not illegal. In fact, the Founding Generation intended that no American should ever need permission to read or write anything. Visa, Mastercard and Paypal have all blocked payments to Wikileaks even though the organization has not been proved to have done anything illegal.
Meanwhile, Bush administration officials who ordered people tortured, like Dick Cheney, have not been in any way inconvenienced by Mssrs. Obama and Holder.
In any case, maybe we should all sign up for some social media based in Europe or in the global South (Orkut is now completely based in Brazil, though owned by Google), to stop the rush toward de facto Facebook- and Twitter- internet monopolies, which then are in turn tools of US government control, what with big corporations being overly cozy with Washington.
Maybe MP Jonsdottir can sponsor legislation allowing the setting up of Iceland-based social media that could not so easily be made to kowtow to government.
The back story here is that the DOJ has decided to attempt to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for conspiracy to commit espionage. In that connection, the DOJ wants to gather evidence that Assange was not a passive recipient of US government classified documents but rather actively recruited American officials with access to the material and urged them to commit a crime. They want to sniff through Jonsdottir"s private mail for such evidence. It is a fishing expedition and legally fishy in that regard. The over-all strategy is lame and almost certainly will fail, but it is being pursued by the Obama administration out of terror that further massive leaks will be made public. The point is to make an object lesson of Assange. In reality, Assange is no more culpable than the New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde or Aftenpost. Newspapers get government officials to leak classified information all the time. But nothing is being done to the newspapers.
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Smaybe we should all sign up for some social media based in Europe or in the global South (Orkut is now completely based in Brazil, though owned by Google), to stop the rush toward de facto Facebook- and Twitter- internet monopolies, which then are in turn tools of US government control
Maybe MP Jonsdottir can sponsor legislation allowing the setting up of Iceland-based social media that could not so easily be made to kowtow to government.
It should not stop at social media, non-US credit cards are required as well to get around Visa & Mastercard. There"s the mooted Belgian Payfair credit card, the Monnet card, and other EAPS cards (Euro Alliance of Payment Schemes).
The quicker non-US based alternatives get up and running, the better for mankind.
Please don"t subscribe to HYVES. It"s owned by the Telegraaf Media Group. If the CATO Institute would have had a social webpage, then it would have been hyves. A lot of dutch people unsubscribed because of the takeover by Telegraaf Media group, mainly because they also publish SDe Telegraaf, a very low quality and populist right wing newspaper.
Two thumbs up for this articale.
I really hope people understand what US cov is doing to people who is willing to speak out their mind and critic how the cov is working. It is clear they are afraid about truth Wikileaks has show the world and I just ask how far they will go to stop people who speak out. Will they start killing?
With just a few exceptions, the Wikileaks cables have actually been Spublished by one or more of the several newspapers to which Assange has delivered them, in most or all cases with editing by the newspaper after learning directly or indirectly of the US government"s specific preferences concerning the cable. Whether this additional filter relieves Assange of liability is one question, but another important question it raises is whether each newspaper is liable as well. No one held a gun to the newspaper"s head to force publication, and it"s fair to assume the newspaper"s cooperation with Assange was at least as Sactive as Assange"s cooperation with Pvt. Manning.
Thoughts?
SIn any case, maybe we should all sign up for some social media based in Europe or in the global South (Orkut is now completely based in Brazil, though owned by Google), to stop the rush toward de facto Facebook- and Twitter- internet monopolies, which then are in turn tools of US government control, what with big corporations being overly cozy with Washington.
I think it is an excellent idea. Is there any way we can spread this appeal to the broader Internet community? If our American Internet companies insist on their right to exclude anyone they chose to while going to bed with our police state then the only effective response for the freedom loving people is to bring their business to a freer country. Any suggestions? I"d gladly propose this to all my friends.
SMeanwhile, Bush administration officials who ordered people tortured, like Dick Cheney, have not been in any way inconvenienced by Mssrs. Obama and Holder
A long overdue comment on your blog, Prof. I really value your blog, and now I feel even more sympathetic to your views.