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Government uses gag order to keep encryption company quiet
In the first half of 2016, Open Whisper Systems (OWS) -- the maker of Signal and creator of the encryption used by Google Allo and Facebook Messenger -- was served a subpoena for information concerning two users of the service. That's not out of the ordinary. But what was odd and troubling was the gag order that accompanied the court order for information.
140 characters to the clink: Occupy Wall Street protester loses battle to block Twitter subpoena
In a decision that's sure to be lost on this generation of over-sharers, Occupy Wall Street protester Malcolm Harris, arrested this past October during a Brooklyn Bridge demonstration, has just lost a legal battle to block prosecutors' attempts to subpoena three month's worth of his tweets. Chalking the ruling up to Twitter's terms of service, Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr. concluded that the posted updates belong to the social networking company under license and, therefore, are fair game for use in the case "given their relevance." Harris, as expected, is in the process of filing a motion to reargue, but let this be a fair warning to our open online culture: what happens on the internet, stays on the internet forever. So you better watch what you tweet.
