Techlines Today

ACLU and EFF Leave FBI Gagging on Gag Order

By Adam Myers ⋅ May 8, 2008 ⋅ Tags: aclu, eff, gag order, internet archive, patriot act

San Franciso based Internet Archive had recently been served a Patriot Act “Nation Security Letter” that requested personal information about on of their users. Operating as a library, the Archive was hesitant to release the information and instead turned to the ACLU and EFF for support. A subsequent court case has now forced the FBI to rescind it’s gag order on the Internet Archive.

The Internet Archive said Wednesday the FBI agreed to withdraw the letter last week and make the case, which had been filed under seal, public. Sections of the lawsuit and supporting documents detailing what and who investigators were looking into have been blacked out.

National security letters are used to compel businesses to turn over customer information without a judge’s order or grand jury subpoena. They are most typically served on Internet service providers and telephone companies demanding billing records, subscriber information and other electronic communication transactional records.

The companies receiving the letters are barred from telling customers who are the targets of the FBI demands.

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