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So every person who has ever connected to this website threatened the president? Because the justice department is demanding the IP address of everybody who ev

So every person who has ever connected to this website threatened the president? Because the justice department is demanding the IP address of everybody who ever connected to that website It's the epitome of silencing exactly that speech, which is protected by the first amendment.

dingo_bat 9y ago
Demanding IP == silencing speech? I'm fed up of alarmist exaggerations. When protecting the president, aggressive investigations are expected.
- CaptainZapp 9y ago
  Demanding IP == silencing speech? Yes, absolutely! You may think twice in comenting in a public discourse if you must fear to wind up in some enemy of the state database.
  - dingo_bat 9y ago
    The website in question was not facebook, or twitter or reddit. It's a website that specifically attacks the president. Not exactly "public discourse". Go near a police officer with a friend and talk generally about the best way to bomb the white house. See what happens. Edit: just realized that this comment may have already wound up in an NSA server somewhere lol.
    - CaptainZapp 9y ago
      It's a website that specifically attacks the president. So what? As long there is no true threat that's their first amendment right to do. But moreover: What does that have to do with visitors to the site who don't even comment, but just visit the site? Here's some insight on the subject if you want to educate yourself : https://www.popehat.com/2013/06/24/whats-the-line-between-ill-wishes-and-threats/ https://www.popehat.com/2013/06/24/whats-the-line-between-il...
  - walterstucco 9y ago
    > Demanding IP == silencing speech? Yes, absolutely! It's like the cops asking for your Id if they find that you were attending a fascist rally where a girl was killed for being openly anti-fascist Nothing to worry here about free speech
- cr1895 9y ago
  Here's an explanation by Ken White: https://www.popehat.com/2017/08/14/department-of-justice-uses-search-warrant-to-get-data-on-visitors-to-anti-trump-site/ https://www.popehat.com/2017/08/14/department-of-justice-use... "DreamHost's brief illuminates the key issues: the search warrant is dangerously overbroad, and implicates protected speech. The Department of Justice isn't just seeking communications by the defendants in its case. It's seeking the records of every single contact with the site — the IP address and other details of every American opposed enough to Trump to visit the site and explore political activism. It seeks the communications with and through the site of everyone who visited and commented, whether or not that communication is part of a crime or just political expression about the President of the United States. The government has made no effort whatsoever to limit the warrant to actual evidence of any particular crime. If you visited the site, if you left a message, they want to know who and where you are — whether or not you did anything but watch TV on inauguration day. This is chilling, particularly when it comes from an administration that has expressed so much overt hostility to protesters, so relentlessly conflated all protesters with those who break the law, and so deliberately framed America as being at war with the administration's domestic enemies."
- efdee 9y ago
  Yes, very much. It's called the chilling effect.

dingo_bat 9y ago

Demanding IP == silencing speech? I'm fed up of alarmist exaggerations. When protecting the president, aggressive investigations are expected.

CaptainZapp 9y ago
Demanding IP == silencing speech? Yes, absolutely! You may think twice in comenting in a public discourse if you must fear to wind up in some enemy of the state database.
- dingo_bat 9y ago
  The website in question was not facebook, or twitter or reddit. It's a website that specifically attacks the president. Not exactly "public discourse". Go near a police officer with a friend and talk generally about the best way to bomb the white house. See what happens. Edit: just realized that this comment may have already wound up in an NSA server somewhere lol.
  - CaptainZapp 9y ago
    It's a website that specifically attacks the president. So what? As long there is no true threat that's their first amendment right to do. But moreover: What does that have to do with visitors to the site who don't even comment, but just visit the site? Here's some insight on the subject if you want to educate yourself : https://www.popehat.com/2013/06/24/whats-the-line-between-ill-wishes-and-threats/ https://www.popehat.com/2013/06/24/whats-the-line-between-il...
- walterstucco 9y ago
  > Demanding IP == silencing speech? Yes, absolutely! It's like the cops asking for your Id if they find that you were attending a fascist rally where a girl was killed for being openly anti-fascist Nothing to worry here about free speech
cr1895 9y ago
Here's an explanation by Ken White: https://www.popehat.com/2017/08/14/department-of-justice-uses-search-warrant-to-get-data-on-visitors-to-anti-trump-site/ https://www.popehat.com/2017/08/14/department-of-justice-use... "DreamHost's brief illuminates the key issues: the search warrant is dangerously overbroad, and implicates protected speech. The Department of Justice isn't just seeking communications by the defendants in its case. It's seeking the records of every single contact with the site — the IP address and other details of every American opposed enough to Trump to visit the site and explore political activism. It seeks the communications with and through the site of everyone who visited and commented, whether or not that communication is part of a crime or just political expression about the President of the United States. The government has made no effort whatsoever to limit the warrant to actual evidence of any particular crime. If you visited the site, if you left a message, they want to know who and where you are — whether or not you did anything but watch TV on inauguration day. This is chilling, particularly when it comes from an administration that has expressed so much overt hostility to protesters, so relentlessly conflated all protesters with those who break the law, and so deliberately framed America as being at war with the administration's domestic enemies."
efdee 9y ago
Yes, very much. It's called the chilling effect.