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US Court Demands Documents On AT&T/Police Collaboration (eff.org)
"The federal government has not justified its excessive secrecy about the massive telephone surveillance program known as Hemisphere, a court ruled in an EFF Freedom of Information Act lawsuit on Thursday." schwit1 quotes the EFF announcement: As a result, the federal government must submit roughly 260 pages of previously withheld or heavily redacted records to the court so that it can review them and decide whether to make more information about Hemisphere public.
Hemisphere is a partnership between AT&T and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that allows police almost real-time access to telephone call detail records. The program is both extremely controversial -- AT&T requires police to hide its use from the public -- and appears to violate our First and Fourth Amendment rights.
Government lawyers had argued the disputed documents were restricted to use at the federal level, but the court remained unconvinced, especially "after EFF demonstrated that many of them appeared to have been given to state and local law enforcement."
Government lawyers had argued the disputed documents were restricted to use at the federal level, but the court remained unconvinced, especially "after EFF demonstrated that many of them appeared to have been given to state and local law enforcement."
Why am I getting spammed on my work email address for deals.slashdot.org since yesterday? It isn't even the address I have registered, so where did you purchase you spam list from? This is a new low for Slashdot, the new owners started well, but it's now clear what your real intentions for the site are.
Defence counsels should focus on the fact that these ruling allow police officers to lie in court to invite the jury to reject the police evidence and go not guilty. A few collapsed trials on that basis could be salutary
Defence Attorney: I understand that your police force may or may not have Stingrays, which you are allowed to lie about if you do have them? Is that correct?
Defence: So when you promise to tell the whole truth, you aren't really saying that, you're saying 'I'm telling as much of the truth as I think I should'. So why should we take ANYTHING you say as the truth?
Defence: I ask you again officer. Is it legal for your police department to mislead a court?
etc...