US tells Twitter to hand over WikiLeaks supporter's messages

Jonsdottir told the Guardian she was demanding a meeting with the US ambassador to Iceland. "The justice department has gone completely over the top," she said. She added the US authorities had requested personal information from Twitter as well as her private messages and that she was now assessing her legal position.

"They are sending a message, it's not just about my information. It's a warning for anyone who had anything to do with WikiLeaks," she said. "It is completely unacceptable for the US justice department to flex its muscles like this. I am lucky, I'm a representative in parliament. But what of other people? It's my duty to do whatever I can to stop this abuse."

Source


Seems like the US Govt.doesnt need Allies anymore if they do one stupid thing after another to make them mad...Idiots,all of them.

The US Gov. plays by its own rules, and dissenters are next to powerless against it as long as the US is the superpower with international currencies pegged to their dollar.

Also, I just created a thread that shows The Guardian has written a book about "the fall" of Wikileaks, due out in February. This news is just another step towards the ultimate goal...

Well, I'm glad I never looked into Wikileaks. =] You could just feel that this plot was going to unfold.

Curiosity killed the cat, haha.

The Justice Department does have that right to ask Twitter to hand over private messages of any of its users at any time. Twitter obviously followed the rules that are applied to them and alerted Birgitta Jonsdottir of their confiscation of her private messages that would be handed over the Department of Justice in the United States. The problem that arises here is that she is a member of the Icelandic Parliament so officially the United States is seizing the private history of another countries member of government.

That would be the equivalent of Russia seizing the private twitter messages of Congressman Ron Paul or Barney Frank here in the United States. Wouldn’t the US government be in an uproar? Quite obviously they would do everything in their power to stop that act. Yet they feel they have the right to search the private twitter messages of an Icelandic MP.

Well I am not sure how this will end, whether she keeps her rights or the US takes them away. Either way I believe her move to make Iceland the home of media and press freedom will be passed swiftly through the Icelandic Parliament simply for this reason as a retaliation against the United States since obviously the US government does not like media and press freedom.

reply to post by Shenon


So much for freedom of speech here in the USA.

I hope she screams bloody murder and creates a real international incident!!!

Originally posted by pforkp
The US Gov. plays by its own rules, and dissenters are next to powerless against it as long as the US is the superpower with international currencies pegged to their dollar.

Also, I just created a thread that shows The Guardian has written a book about "the fall" of Wikileaks, due out in February. This news is just another step towards the ultimate goal...

I dont think the "Guardian" is the News-Site itself,but someone who wants to either make a few Buckets or discredit the real Guardian,who is one of the very few who still report on Wikileaks and the Cables seriously. Too obvious in my Opinion.

OT: Going to Bed now. Later

reply to post by Shenon


This is skocking. Big Brother is certianly coming out of the closet now. Seems the US government have been great students of the Soviet KGB. I thought US Government was committed to free society? Seems they are not in which case why are they in Afghanistan??????

UNBELIEVABLE - ALL THE PROOF WE NEED!

This is ...horrifying.

GO JONSDOTTIR! GO ICELAND!

I support Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press and the Right to Privacy.

I used to be able to say 'Proud to be American'....I hope one day in the distant future I will be able to say it again

ok guys, not meaning to sound like an idiot here but i don't tweet ... could someone please explain how or why these twitter messages are legally considered "private" in the first place ?

i am confused by this because in the US, the Feds are making it illegal for one to access/read a spouse's internet info or accounts [email, FB, Twitter), sooooooo, how can they claim rights to that of another country, period. regardless of the fact she's a member of parliament (to me, that just makes it worse)
i was under the impression all internet communique was 'public' in one form or another, that just because it may be encoded, doesn't make it private ... am i missing something?

ex: the DoD info re-routed last year (but recently admitted) ... if the servers handling the info aren't responsible and the entity enabling the re-route is unidentified, how does the info from the story become more private than say, the Dod or you or i ??

How long before they get that list of IPs in the US, and start arresting people?

Or at least putting all those who supported Wikileaks on Twitter on the no-fly list?

Me thinks it won't be long.

The US government is run by totalitarian scum, all of them.

her move to make Iceland the home of media and press freedom will be passed swiftly through the Icelandic Parliament

I believe itt was passed by both parties of parliament middle of 2010
Both parties supported this after what happened to them in 2008/2009 - GFC

In Iceland she has championed the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative which is aimed at creating legislation to make Iceland a legal haven for journalists and media outlets

Anyone and everyone should join twitter if they haven’t and do a mass support for wikileaks.
lol that will fix them, that will screw up there who’s who of wikileaks supporters ..Hell even add your pet dog and your granny’s cat called Fluffy.

WikiLeaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US subpoenas.Call comes after it emerges that US has tried to force Twitter to release WikiLeaks members' private details.

Source

Got a few Reactions from other News Media too,even here in Germany...

I'm thinking Wikileaks is that special 'head-scratcher' OMG moment that the latest Webbot report was talking about. I knew this whole thing was going evolve into a major hell-storm but it's looking like it's going to further morph into something even more far-reaching and horrific than we can imagine. It's looking like it might take a whole lot of people on the periphery down with it in more ways than one the process. Only time will tell,I guess.

Just an alternative viewpoint. But could it be that she handed this information over willingly, and the uproar she has created not only covers her derriere, but starts the ball rolling on some new pieces of legislation they’re wanting in Iceland? Not saying that’s the case. Just saying maybe it’s a possibility.

“Me thinks thou dost protest too much.”

Thats me screwed then.

But i suspect that most of us on this site too has a file in langley somewhere

reply to post by Shenon



Starred and flagged!

It appears Obama's pet nazi Eric Holder is pulling out all the stops on this. Sure as hell IS "change you can believe in", yeah change for the worse.