Author Topic: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data  (Read 1737 times)

Wiggs

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http://news.yahoo.com/judge-fbi-doesnt-warrant-access-google-customer-data-030600148.html

In what looks very much like a blow to that whole Constitutional thing about due process, a federal judge has ordered Google to release customer data to the FBI, despite the fact that the FBI has no warrant for the information.

The FBI made its request via 19 "National Security Letters." Here's CNET with a short explainer on what National Security Letters are:
NSLs are controversial because they allow FBI officials to send secret requests to Web and telecommunications companies requesting "name, address, length of service," and other account information about users as long as it's relevant to a national security investigation. No court approval is required, and disclosing the existence of the FBI's secret requests is not permitted.
At least, it wasn't permitted -- as the AP points out, the same federal judge who ruled against Google on May 20 ruled back in March that the gag order demand was unconstitutional. That was in response to a petition from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has long opposed NSLs.  The government filed an appeal to the decision on May 6.

We don't get to see what evidence the FBI provided in the May 10 hearing, but Judge Susan Illston said that it was good enough for her to rule that 17 of the 19 letters were in accordance with the law. She said she needed more information before she could rule on the other two. Exactly what the FBI was looking for in its request or to which customers' accounts it wanted access is still unknown.

The FBI has been eager to ramp up its surveillance on social media networks, and up until now, companies like Facebook and Google went with it. According to EFF's attorney Matt Zimmerman, of the roughly 300,000 NSLs the government has issued since 2000, only "four or five" recipients have tried to challenge them.

7

the trainer

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2013, 09:52:41 AM »
that is why i go old school and send my important message by courier pigeons

Voice of Doom

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2013, 10:14:55 AM »
"national security" = heaven's gift to fascists

Bad Boy Dazza

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2013, 01:08:05 PM »
I was just watching V for Vendetta last night and OMG it rang true to things right now.  Everything except the religion, as US govt is quite anti christian.

Raymondo

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2013, 01:15:23 PM »
Hushmail

Cryptobin

Proxies


Papper

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2013, 09:51:20 PM »
that is why i go old school and send my important message by courier pigeons

lol

Stephano

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2013, 09:55:52 PM »
Hushmail

Cryptobin

Proxies



Hushmail is NOT secure, and caves to the government whenever asked.  Look into this for yourself.
There are 100 services that offer better protection/anonymity.

tommywishbone

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2013, 10:00:26 PM »
that is why i go old school and send my important message by courier pigeons

I'm a smoke signals man myself.
a

Tapeworm

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2013, 10:37:54 PM »
Hushmail

Cryptobin

Proxies



I need to get up to speed on this stuff.  Most illegal thing I do is an occasional DL (hardly a national security matter), but I want my internet history unrecorded as a matter of principle.

Please expand on these.  Also, are you a Tor guy?

Raymondo

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #9 on: June 02, 2013, 02:27:05 AM »
Hushmail is NOT secure, and caves to the government whenever asked.  Look into this for yourself.
There are 100 services that offer better protection/anonymity.


Hushmail IS secure, it protects you from Echelon/Carnivore-style snooping software and is un-hackable. Them bending to governments has nothing to do with how secure they are.

Papper

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #10 on: June 02, 2013, 05:32:19 AM »
Hushmail is NOT secure, and caves to the government whenever asked.  Look into this for yourself.
There are 100 services that offer better protection/anonymity.


Interesting. If they bend over to anyone they're obviously not "secure"

Stephano

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #11 on: June 02, 2013, 08:26:09 AM »
Hushmail IS secure, it protects you from Echelon/Carnivore-style snooping software and is un-hackable. Them bending to governments has nothing to do with how secure they are.

You're kidding.  By that standard, you might as well go with a Gmail account -- Google's data-security is just about as good as it gets, and those accounts are also essentially unhackable.  (In practical terms.  Unless your password sucks, or you do something really stupid.  Now Yahoo, on the other hand...)

Hushmail is a weak solution, as they'll give your information and your entire inbox to any government agency that asks politely.  A LOT of people got busted that way.
HideMyAss, the proxy, is also terrible.  Same thing.  Got lots of people busted -- including one or two Lulzsec folks who should have known better.

If you're going to use secure services, be a discerning customer and check the history of the companies you patronize!

King Shizzo

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #12 on: June 02, 2013, 08:29:28 AM »
You're kidding.  By that standard, you might as well go with a Gmail account -- Google's data-security is just about as good as it gets, and those accounts are also essentially unhackable.  (In practical terms.  Unless your password sucks, or you do something really stupid.  Now Yahoo, on the other hand...)

Hushmail is a weak solution, as they'll give your information and your entire inbox to any government agency that asks politely.  A LOT of people got busted that way.
HideMyAss, the proxy, is also terrible.  Same thing.  Got lots of people busted -- including one or two Lulzsec folks who should have known better.

If you're going to use secure services, be a discerning customer and check the history of the companies you patronize!

Hi Gh15!

Stephano

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #13 on: June 02, 2013, 09:49:24 AM »
The standard of Hushmail is perfectly fine for people who are not doing anything illegal and do not want their everyday communications monitored for "keywords" or stashed in some super-massive database by the American NSA or our very own MI5.

If you're actually doing something illegal and are foolish enough to attact the authorities' attention to it (like the Lulzsec crew, or the UGNazis, or that silly bugger Gonzales who liked to throw $100,000 birthday parties) then finding the right email provider that will not bend over to authorities should be the least of your concerns. A change of countries to somewhere like Ukraine or Belarus might be a wiser move.

And since you mention gmail and its security, you might be interested to know there are rumouss that it has been hacked and we're not talking brute-force and dictionary attacks but actual exploits. The guy who has "allegedly" done it is a notorious hacker who has been disrupting jihadi online communications during the last few years (hint hint...)

:)

I think that Jester fella used exploits that had nothing to do with Google's data security per se, and much more to do with idiocy and poor password practices among the fools he had targeted.  Some popular mail services, like Yahoo Mail, are absolutely prone to falling on exploits (like a recent WordPress hack) -- but Gmail has a really excellent reputation for good data security and solid password hashing... it's also much more feature-rich and user-friendly than Hushmail. ;)

I'll say it again, if you're going to go out of your way for a thoroughly-encrypted mail account, there are way better options than Hushmail.  Hushmail is a disgusting company that has hurt a lot of people. 


Raymondo

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2013, 11:10:42 AM »
:)

I think that Jester fella used exploits that had nothing to do with Google's data security per se, and much more to do with idiocy and poor password practices among the fools he had targeted.  Some popular mail services, like Yahoo Mail, are absolutely prone to falling on exploits (like a recent WordPress hack) -- but Gmail has a really excellent reputation for good data security and solid password hashing... it's also much more feature-rich and user-friendly than Hushmail. ;)

I'll say it again, if you're going to go out of your way for a thoroughly-encrypted mail account, there are way better options than Hushmail.  Hushmail is a disgusting company that has hurt a lot of people. 




I think I get your point, you really really really hate Hushmail  :D

beakdoctor

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Re: Judge: FBI Doesn't Need a Warrant to Access Google Customer Data
« Reply #15 on: June 02, 2013, 11:55:14 AM »
Jesus christ... pay attention here. Between the DOJ, Dept of Homeland Security and the US supreme Court....the constitution is worthless. Some crazy shit happening int this country. Meanwhile the mass media plays the common man like a fiddle.