Erstellt am: 10. 1. 2011 - 13:09 Uhr
Today's Webtip: Twitterleaks just the start?
I'm sure you have heard by now that the U.S. Government has asked Twitter to hand over account information on Wikileaks, Julian Assange, and others associated with the site. The request was veiled in secrecy thanks to a provision of the Patriot act. Twitter was kind enough to ask the court to lift the secrecy so it could inform it's users of the request. And it worked.
Yes, this means they will most likely have to hand over the list of people following any of the people mentioned in the order. It also means that the U.S. are indeed looking into potential charges against Wikileaks, and that other social networking sites have most likely been subpeonaed as well.
The Guardian has an article up stating that Wikileaks has now asked Google and Facebook to unseal their subpeonas. You can find out the details and get up to speed on some of the legal issues here:
www.guardian.co.uk
Jacob Applebaum, one of those listed in the subpeona who has had trouble reentering the states in the past, is currently on his way back to the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union will be waiting for him at the Seattle Airport just in case things get creepy. Since his electronic gear has been confiscated at the border in the past, he will be offline until after landing in the U.S. but it still might be worth it to keep an eye on his twitter feed.