We Are Definitely Being Watched Online By The Justice Department

[mudwhistle]

Say the wrong thing online and the Justice Department will arrive with warrants at your website's office demanding names and addresses. You'd think this would only apply to threats against the president. Nope. Idle threats against a federal judge will get the same response it appears:

The Department of Justice has ordered libertarian website Reason.com to turn over the information of six commenters after they made threats against the federal judge who presided over the Silk Road trial.

Ken White of the blog Popehat obtained the grand jury subpoena issued by the Department of Justice last week, which demands "any and all identifying information” the website has pertaining to the threatening commenters. This includes email addresses, telephone numbers, IP addresses, and billing information associated with the accounts.

The subpoena targets users who commented on an article published on May 31st regarding a letter from Ross Ulbricht, the creator of online drug market Silk Road, pleading for leniency ahead of his sentencing for charges surrounding the site. The comments appeared after Judge Katherine Forrest gave Ulbricht two life sentences for his crimes.

“It’s judges like these that should be taken out back and shot,” a user named Agammamon wrote, according to the filing.

The Department of Justice declined to explain how, exactly, it was alerted to the threatening comments on Reason.com, but a representative told Motherboard that “the US Marshal Service goal is ensure the safe and secure operation of the federal judiciary.”

“We do not discuss in detail our specific security measures or investigative procedures,” the representative said in an email. “However, we constantly assess our security posture and are ready to respond and actively investigate all threats and inappropriate communications.”

It’s hard to say if the trollish commenters on Reason.com were serious about putting a federal judge "in a wood chipper"—for what it’s worth, White wrote the comments are “very clearly not true threats.” But it’s clear the government is monitoring comments online, at least when they affect powerful federal judges.

The Government Wants Names of Online Commenters Who Trashed the Silk Road Judge Motherboard


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I think Obama is more worried about idle rightwing threats than he is about terrorists he let in through our porous borders.

 

[Statistikhengst]

 

[PratchettFan]

Of course they are monitoring on-line comment boards. Do people just not pay attention to the world or think they are not part of that world?

 

[EverCurious]

I read they are also (via executive order) trying to put something down about gun "instructions" on the internet because it's not "secure", but I'm still trying to research the exact details of it. Basically the gist was that if you published some kind of educational "how to take apart/clean your gun" type thing, or if you post gun instruction manuals they can come in and shut your site down, fine you, even jail you for it.

 

[mudwhistle]

Of course they are monitoring on-line comment boards. Do people just not pay attention to the world or think they are not part of that world?

They're monitoring it and now they are acting on it.

 

[mudwhistle]

I read they are also (via executive order) trying to put something down about gun "instructions" on the internet because it's not "secure", but I'm still trying to research the exact details of it. Basically the gist was that if you published some kind of educational "how to take apart/clean your gun" type thing, or if you post gun instruction manuals they can come in and shut your site down, fine you, even jail you for it.

Yeah.....Obama trying to use censorship via the internet. Let him get away with this and he'll start using it on any speech he doesn't like.

 

[EverCurious]

mmm not just him either...

 

[PratchettFan]

Of course they are monitoring on-line comment boards. Do people just not pay attention to the world or think they are not part of that world?

They're monitoring it and now they are acting on it.

I would hope so. People stupid enough to say we should shoot judges on a public board may well be stupid enough to try and do it. Law enforcement should be checking them out.

 

[Mad Scientist]

The Justice Department's case is, at best, Extremely Weak.
18 U.S. Code 875 - Interstate communications US Law LII Legal Information Institute

(c)Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

"People like that..." is NOT a direct threat.

 

[PratchettFan]

The Justice Department's case is, at best, Extremely Weak.
18 U.S. Code 875 - Interstate communications US Law LII Legal Information Institute

(c)Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

"People like that..." is NOT a direct threat.

The Justice Dept doesn't have a case. No case exists. They are investigating based upon probable cause and it would appear a judge, who is required for the issuance of a subpoena, agrees.

 

[Stephanie]

Just think the people VOTED for this.

man oh man this is getting damn scary

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Of course they are monitoring on-line comment boards. Do people just not pay attention to the world or think they are not part of that world?

They're monitoring it and now they are acting on it.

I would hope so. People stupid enough to say we should shoot judges on a public board may well be stupid enough to try and do it. Law enforcement should be checking them out.

Really? So what should we do about the movie advocating killing Bush?

 

[PratchettFan]

Of course they are monitoring on-line comment boards. Do people just not pay attention to the world or think they are not part of that world?

They're monitoring it and now they are acting on it.

I would hope so. People stupid enough to say we should shoot judges on a public board may well be stupid enough to try and do it. Law enforcement should be checking them out.

Really? So what should we do about the movie advocating killing Bush?

Take a close look at the people who made the movie to determine if there is an actual threat. What do you think we should do? Just ignore it all and hope for the best?