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Homeland Security Wants To Subpoena Techdirt Over The Identity Of A Hyperbolic Commenter (boingboing.net)

Techdirt is in hot water with the Department of Homeland Security all thanks to a commenter known as Digger. Techdirt's Tim Cushing published a story about the Hancock County, IN Sheriff's Department officers who stole $240,000 under color of asset forfeiture. In response to the story, Digger wrote, "The only 'bonus' these criminals [the Sheriff's Department officers] are likely to see could be a bullet to their apparently empty skulls." The Department of Homeland Security then contacted Techdirt to ask whom they should send a subpoena to in order to identify Digger. Masnick is worried the subpoena could come with a gag order. "Normally, we'd wait for the details before publishing, but given a very similar situation involving commenters on the site Reason last year, which included a highly questionable and almost certainly unconstitutional gag order preventing Reason from speaking about it, we figured it would be worth posting about it before we've received any such thing," Masnick writes.

5 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. Hyperbolic Commenter TM by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is the worst thing that ever happened of all time. When I'm president, I'm going to make subpoenas so massive it'll make your head spin. They will be tremendous, tremendous subpoenas.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Hyperbolic Commenter TM by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Funny

      And Mexico is going to pay for them!

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      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  2. Why even keep logs at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you offer anonymous comments? Tell them the IP address is 127.0.0.1 and that's all you know.

  3. Re:Hyperbolic you say by Deadstick · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bet he keeps his eccentricity below 1 next time.

  4. Re: Behind 7 proxies by myowntrueself · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's not "Vigilante justice", because it's done under the cover of authority.

    Indeed. Vigilante justice would be private citizens going around shooting corrupt police officers.

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.