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Yahoo CEO Says It Would Be Treason To Decline To Cooperate With the NSA
McGruber writes "During Wednesday's TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Marissa Meyer was asked what would happen if Yahoo simply declined to cooperate with the NSA. She replied 'Releasing classified information is treason. It generally lands you incarcerated.' Meyer also revealed that the 2007 lawsuit against the Patriot Act had been filed by Yahoo: 'I'm proud to be part of an organization that from the very beginning in 2007, with the NSA and FISA and PRISM, has been skeptical and has scrutinized those requests. In 2007 Yahoo filed a lawsuit against the new Patriot Act, parts of PRISM and FISA, we were the key plaintiff. A lot of people have wondered about that case and who it was. It was us ... we lost. The thing is, we lost and if you don't comply it's treason.'"
Patriotism?
She's fired.
Article 3, Section 3, US Constitution.
Learn it, love it, live it.
Doesn't this guy have a metric f*ckton of lawyers to explain these little legal niceties to him???
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
I hereby, as a prior serviceman who swore an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution, pledge my rifle if Mr. Zuckerberg or Ms. Mayer, CEOs of Facebook and Yahoo respectively, come out with the truth of the extent of violation by the government against the privacy of the citizens of the United States of America. And herby pledge my rifle to the their defense, the defense of the Constitution and freedom of speech if either is arrested, charged and sentenced for treason in regards to the matter of the NSA's unconstitutional espionage on U.S. citizens. This is a reminder that the government is to serve the People, not the other way around.
***
U.S. CONSTITUTION : AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION : ARTICLE IV
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Government agencies not specifically sent this message that reading this, please
If a government agency violates the law and demands that you allow them to, it is not treason to hold them accountable. We shall see this play out.
This spin on this article is amazing. What happens if you decline cooperation is classified information. That doesn't mean that declining to cooperate leads to a treason charge, just that whatever happens if you decline, is classified information. Releasing classified information is a treason charge, but that's a separate issue altogether.
So it's treason NOT to co-operate with the NSA.
But it's NOT treason for the NSA to share their (illegally obtained?) information with other countries.
I guess the question now is... What are you all going to do about it? They made the rules of the game, so playing by the rules isn't going to get you anywhere anymore.
you set precedence. Big Business cooperation with the government is what got us here in the first place.
For this reason, we no longer trust either of you.
It's like asking "what do you mean by sex?" and yet... how is what Snowden did treason? All he has done is reveal the fact that the three branches of our government have basically said "we have the right to spy on you be cause we say so. and if you reveal the fact that we are violating your rights under the constitution they pull the magic "States Secrets" bunny out of the hat that waves its magic wand and gags those that would speak because it is treason... Um... How's that again? Where does it say that "State Secrets" trumps the constitution?
She's not saying that it's treasonous not to cooperate, but rather lamenting the fact that they're being forced to comply.
I think it was more so, that "Hey, we will arrest you. Crash your company. And or replace you. And we'll use illicit means to make it happen. Hell, we might just bump you off if you don't comply. Either way your company will comply, whether its you or the next guy."
'Releasing classified information is treason.'
Here's the definition of the word "TREASON", courtesy of Google:
2. The action of betraying someone or something
I sincerely hope that Ms. Meyer isn't stupid.
I sincerely hope that Yahoo has hired a CEO who ought to be able to discern the difference between a country and a government
In fact, treason has been committed, by the current government of the United States, against the very country of the United States of America
Anyone who chose to side with the treacherous regime that is lording over the citizens of the United States of America could be, in future, charged with treason
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
You just made me realize that we're on Team Oracle's yacht and losing badly. Penalized -2 to begin with, and now one race to 6.
Except the people aren't going to arrest you, or send Mr. Smith to run your car off the road in a freak accident.
No, Marissa, it is not treason:
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."
That's treason. Releasing classified information isn't treason per se unless it meets one of the Constitutional criteria laid out above.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writ_of_assistance
the historical events that served as the basis for the fourth amendment
and exactly the type of abuse the NSA is perpetrating on the american people
what we are talking about with the NSA program is a thorough, gross violation of and clear, undeniable contradiction to a founding principle of this country
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
It is the only crime defined there :
Don't see anything there about not cooperating with the authorities.
rather than treasonously reporting government info requests, every time they receive such a request they will make their logo slightly blander. by this time next year, it'll look just like helvetica
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
Mass civil disobedience (followed by public outrage hopefully) could be the answer, even in this case?
Am i simply being delusional if i hope corporations could do that?
We're approaching the end game of fascism in America. The country has had a good run but alas humans can't stop being humans and so this country will crumble under its weight like all countries before it.
Because someone needs to be swinging from a yard arm or given a blindfold and a cig for how badly Marissa boned Flickr.
Laughter is the Spackle of the Soul.
More like corporate suicide!
Right - she said what the govt. lawyers told her. She didn't say what her personal feelings are, which is only fair from a corporate mouthpiece.
So what happens if a corporation commits treason? Methinks, like murder, nothing.
I hear a lot of tough talk in here. And in theory, I agree with a some of it. But in reality, I have to wonder how many of you would continue that tough talk if it were YOU being questioned or served with a secret warrant by the NSA or any other federal three-letter organization. I'd be willing to bet money that 90 percent of you would wilt like a daisy dropped in Death Valley.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
Another Hitler should be showing up soon.
Any guesses who the Jews will be this time?
Or will they just tell the Soldiers we're all "Zombies", like night of the living dead?
This will not end well for anyone; these people have nuclear weapons, and have used them in war.
This time it will be New York and San Francisco, those stinking Liberals...
.
Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
"OUR" country betrays US!
This message brought to you by the Committee to Elect Edward Snowden for President.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
"OUR" country betrays US!
"This message brought to you by the Committee to Elect Edward Snowden for President."
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
And then please tell me what you all would expect her to say... Please! Knock me over with a feather!
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
The government players think they run the country. They kind of do. What do you think those billions of bullets are for? But you can't commit treason against traitors. The people who are betraying "the people" are traitors.
Yahoo? You're toast.
They can, they have, and they will. Meet Joe Nacchio, the man who said "No" when he was CEO of Qwest.
And how do you know who is from the NSA and who is working for the FSB or some other foreign agency? Do they have badges? And what do they look like? Is there a number I can call to verify whether someone claiming to be an NSA employee actually is? As far as I know, the NSA has no status as a law enforcement agency.
Until then, I'm just going to shoot any seedy looking people sneaking around our data center.
Have gnu, will travel.
Wow..There is A LOT of talk on the whole treason thing and I get it, she's really blowing it out her ass, but the other thing the struck me was...
if that is her view,
why use Yahoo? (Sorry for the rhyme).
I mean, the best way to show her view is lame is to not use her product. She wants to give over data to the Governmet, fine, I wont use her product. She feels I have no rights as a customer? I wont use her product.
Until the day something like Yahoo is the only access to the Internet (Web) I have a choice and I would not choose Yahoo (thanks to her). Let me be a customer of companies that still attempt to protect ones rights and let Marissa wrap her self in a flag of rightiousness and failure.
Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
Giving aid to the enemy would be considered treason, and what she says at the end of the article is "if you don't comply it's treason." If the target of the inquiry is considered an enemy, as they may in a terrorist investigation, it seems to me not handing over the requested information could be seen as treason. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was spelled out in the court case she's referring to. There's really nothing outrageous about the headline, the real problem is the ease with which agencies can force a company to hand over the information. Personally, I don't take issue with them considering it treason if they're requesting information on a dangerous enemy, I just think it's bull that they can use this on just about anyone with no real oversight, in a manner thought unconstitutional by the court in charge of it.
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted."
-- U.S. Constitution, Article III, section 3.
So... bullshit.
In Liberty, Rene
... a video I was watching recently. A youtube vid of one of the story arcs of Babylon5, the Earth Civil War. Something about this statement just brought this to mind. Not stating that this as serious but well it does have dark overtones.
Bitter and proud of it.
What a peculiar turn of phrase.
A lot of "arm-chair" lawyers here, but the basic thing is that they tried to fight it in open court and they lost, over, done. And if you think the others (Google, Facebook, etc) would have fared any better, you are simply fooling yourself. You can try to reinterpret what treason is all you like, but the fact is they are compelled to comply.
That was my point....
I have friends who see nothing wrong with NSA/TSA. They think I'm the one with issues because I do.
With such apathy and normalcy bias, how is a CEO to risk company and possibly life in standing up to a fascist government.
When you're talking about secret courts and domestic spying. We are talking about gross violations of the Constitution. (And let's be honest, you're not dumb enough to believe that the FIS is only surveilling foreign communications. I'm sorry, please...)
Oh, mind you, the Constitution is superior to even the courts. And while the Supreme Court makes a determination of what's constitutional. And is a check and balance along with the other two branches. There is a fourth branch of the American system. It is called "We the People", and it is a final check and balance.
And let's not forget the EFFs FOIA request which showed that the FISC court itself feels the NSA is grossly and repeatedly in violation.
I honestly feel we need a hero. We need someone of high profile, like Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEOs, someone big to basically come out with a whole dump of what's going on.
And if they did so, and found themselves arrested...then it is time for us to support freedom over tyranny.
Do we really want corporations decide what laws they should follow?
Do corporations really have, and should they have, a moral compass and responsibility?
If so, which one and how should they operate in different cultures?
If the laws suck then we, the people, have a responsibility to fix it through democratic measures.
I do not think it legitim to condemn an organisation and the people working there for following the law.
Mod up inciteful? Or how about insightful?
Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
The Yahoo CEO is not thinking of the best interests of whom they are supposed to serve and the Yahoo! way of doing business pretty much reflects that.That is why I am glad they are losing marketshare. If you want an example of someone who gets it right, please read this interview with Archive.org founder, Brewster Kahle. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/06/what-its-like-to-get-a-national-security-letter.html In a nutshell, the government tried to intimidate him into acting against the peoples' best interests and he resisted. Rightly so. Mind you, Archive.org is all about public service whereas Yahoo! is clearly not. Dear Yahoo!, don't be evil.
"SO we bide our time, waiting for a purer kick to bloom and the future is still bleak, uncertain and beautiful" -GSYBE
Then Yahoo is just another in a string of appeasers who doesn't understand the constitution.
I am sure that the woman who would not let her employees work at home, but has a nursery built next to her office, would he happy to let the NSA listening in on your conversations, but hers.
We already sent the treacherous fuckers to the big house.
The big, White, House.
You have been eaten by a grue - uh, sorry wrong game. ;)
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
Instead they chose to stock D.C. from floor to ceiling with criminals and sociopaths. Somewhat understandable, as you would not want them home in your state. But still, on the whole, a bad move.
You can't expect corporate executives to defend your rights. Marissa Mayer, the gang at Google, Verizon, you name them, they and the NSA are all on the same side, which is the side of protecting US capitalism. World capitalism, actually, to be more accurate.
At least Google tried to keep it on the down-low. *Sheesh*
And since everyone on Wall Street is using insider info (yes) and the NSA has the good on them, then this a a credible threat...
While I do agree that it is disappointing that companies, such as Yahoo, do not stand up for freedom and privacy they way they should, I think it is valuable to listen to what she said. The government has strong armed tech companies into compliance with the threat of jail time and who knows what else. I can't really blame someone for caving. I would like to think I would be all bold and stand up for rights but come end of the day, I don't make good jail material and would probably cave too.
We should be more alarmed and more afraid of a government that wields this kind of power
I've always said English was my second language. Had Romeo and Juliet been written in C, I might have understood it.
If you does, it's treason. If politicians does, it's patriotism. Register/operate yourself (Yahoo) as a Political Party.
Casteism
The CEO if Yahoo is a moron. Rich perhaps, but still a moron.
Why is it that most of the people that I encounter seem to have been shat from the Sphincter of Mediocrity?
Resistance to tyranny is never treason.
It seems like we've entered Alice's Wonderland and it's NSA's tea party. Their philosophy is, "We're hunting terrorists. We don't need no stinking 4th Amendment." And so those who oppose them are traitors. This is "SPIES GONE WILD" the sequel. Common sense tells me we need to take matters into our own hands to protect what little is left of our privacy. What can we do? Encryption won't keep NSA out entirely, but it will make it harder for them to pick us out of the crowd. Decrypting still takes extra time & effort and that little bit of hassle may be enough to keep their noses out of your business. The same goes for storing stuff on Dropbox, iCloud, etc. Take it down and stash everything in a CloudLocker (www.cloudlocker.it), which works just the same but it's private and stays in your home where they still need a warrant to see inside.
For many many years, I followed in great detail, the news casts produced by ABC, CBS, NBC, and even PBS and the BBC. I truly believed that what I was fed was fair and honest. But then with NSA, and the idiot woman from Yahoo stating that it would be treason to report to the NSA, I realize, that no USA broadcaster, email provider, messenger provider or any other service could be trusted with confidential (even non treasonous data). Then by chance I caught Al Jazeera America, a news agency that actually has employees in the conflict zones, and in the reporters galleries around the world. I was skeptical at first, but as time went on, more precision about news took place. Today, if I want unbiased news reporting, I tune to Al Jazeera, because they do present both sides of debates and conflicts.
But if one can't trust CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX' PBS, BBC etc, then we can't trust Google, Yahoo.com Hotmail, etc. etc. etc.
Yahoo's users are international. We want our emails to remain in our countries, and in an International environment, if Yahoo or another organization is asked by NSA for information, and the owner of the email is Chilian, or Canadian, or Chinese, the country of origin of the email must give permission. Otherwise, what I see it coming in the next five years, is a parallel internet, not run by the USA.
NSA breaks the law, and we say nothing. Boy, are we not all couch potatoes. Al Jazeera tells it as it is -- Shameful. And by the way,
We should just encrypt our emails to business partners with different keys, based on the day of the year, and with a different algorithm, also based on the day of the year, and relabel AES files as Bluefish, 3des, or whatever. AES is the encryption algorithm that the USA government has stipulated, is not suitable for use within the Government.
I guess I meandered, but the President of Yahoo is an example of being brainwashed.
Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
Yahoo is a corporation, not a citizen. It's interests do not lie in the same
place or even the general direction as a citizen's. It's sole purpose is to make
money, and despite her best intentions, true patriotism and love of money are
not compatible. One cannot serve two masters.
Despite what the courts claim, corporations are NOT individuals, and therefore
do not have the same rights as an individual citizen of this country.
If Ms Meyer believes that playing along with the NSA is patriotic, so long as she
says that from he own perspective and not that of anyone else, that's her right.
However, being a patriot is not something anyone can truly claim for themselves,
because only time will reveal whether or not someone's ACTIONS make them out
to be a patriot, a milquetoast citizen or a traitor.
So if Ms Meyer feels it's her patriotic duty to sell out her customers to the Eye In
The Sky, that's something she''ll have to live with and answer for.
But she doesn't speak for me.
Losing freedom an inch at a time!
I'm sure that's what German soldiers thought as they marched people into concentration camps. It would be treason to go against Hitler's instructions.
So why are multi-national companies hiring or promoting people who have the severe disability of being vulnerable to pressure from this most pernicious of countries? It is just plain dangerous to your business model.
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"