Microsoft gains support from Mozilla, EFF, Google and Apple in fight against US gagging orders

[Batu69]

Microsoft is fighting the US Justice Department in an attempt to quash a law that prevents companies informing customers that the government is requesting their data. The technology giant has the backing of other tech companies as well as media outlets.

 

Amazon, Apple, Google, Fox News, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mozilla are among those offering their support to Microsoft. The lawsuit says that blocking companies from keeping their customers informed is unconstitutional, and it comes at a time when tech companies in particular are keen to be as open and transparent as possible about government requests for data.

 

Legal experts say that the Fourth Amendment should offer protection against "unreasonable searches", including searches of electronic data stored in the cloud. As EFF Senior Staff Attorney Lee Tien puts it: "Whether the government has a warrant to rifle through our mail, safety deposit boxes, or emails stored in the cloud, it must notify people about the searches. When electronic searches are done in secret, we lose our right to challenge the legality of law enforcement invasions of privacy. The Fourth Amendment doesn't allow that, and it's time for the government to step up and respect the Constitution".

 

The EFF is lending its support to Microsoft because the subject is something very close to its heart. EFF Staff Attorney Sophia Cope says:

When people kept personal letters in a desk drawer at home, they knew if that information was about to be searched because the police had to knock on their door and show a warrant. The fact that today our private emails are kept on a server maintained by an Internet company doesn’t change the government's obligations under the Fourth Amendment. The Constitution requires law enforcement to tell people they are the target of a search, which enables them to vindicate their rights and provides a free society with a crucial means of government accountability.

Another company to throw its support behind the legal battle is Mozilla. The company explains its reasons for backing Microsoft in a blog post:

Mozilla today is joining a coalition of technology companies, including Apple, Lithium, and Twilio, in filing an amicus brief in support of Microsoft’s case against indiscriminate use of gag orders. Such orders prevent companies from notifying users about government requests for their data.

 

Transparency is the core pillar for everything we do at Mozilla. It is foundational to how we build our products, with an open code base that anybody can inspect, and is critical to our vision of an open, trusted, secure web that places users in control of their experience online. Our reform efforts in the areas of vulnerability disclosure and government surveillance are also centered on the transparency ideal.

 

And transparency -- or more appropriately the lack thereof -- is why we care about this case.  When requesting user data, these gag orders are sometimes issued without the government demonstrating why the gag order is necessary. Worse yet, the government often issues indefinite orders that prevent companies from notifying users even years later, long after everyone would agree the gag order is no longer needed. These actions needlessly sacrifice transparency without justification. That’s foolish and unacceptable.

 

We have yet to receive a gag order that would prevent us from notifying a user about a request for data. Nonetheless, we believe it is wrong for the government to indefinitely delay a company from providing user notice. We said this when we released our transparency report in May, and we said then that we would take steps to enforce this belief. That is just what we've done today.

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[SnakeMasteR]

That's why it is so ridiculously dumb to praise EU-US Privacy Shield because you wouldn't even know gov is involved or requested your data for whatever reason.

[steven36]

LOL,  just  a few weeks ago  the EFF  slammed Microsoft just to make the public go away,  just like I told another  member here EFF is working with Microsoft  in reality and will not bother them in court.  Why do the EFF get involved in this? If Microsoft didn't harvest  data  they be nothing to get,  they do it for profit.  I see why the others do it because they harvest data for profit .

 

 Its not  OK for Microsoft Apple , Google etc to Harvest you're data and sell it when there's no mandatory laws saying you have to in the USA , The law is like this  if they get a warrant you have to hand over what you have if they dont have nothing, they dont get nothing . So if you wanted to protect someones  privacy you would not log everything someone does . The law most the time is going catch you with or without  there help anyway  they just  gather all the info  they can get and most of  the time a gag order is just a small part off it,  there not going to take you too court without  having a strong case against you and still they may lose.. it just depends if you have the right lawyers or not . I have no pity for fools who sign into services that plainly  state they log in there toss and commit crimes and cry wolf latter .

 

LOL there fighting in court while steadily  handing peoples info over  just ask ask the guy who ran Kat sitting in Poland jail right now . I doubt  corporate  America  that collects you're  data to begin with can stop the ways the law works, only thing they could do is come clean and stop there data collecting.   its just a show these companies could care less about you're privacy  they are just worried you may switch to some good services  that dont harvest you're data  and they well lose  there gravy train.  Snowden exposed everyone of them. Its not about privacy its all about money in the end. That's reality no one loves you but you're family  and there just a bunch gold diggers

 

[pc71520]

2 hours ago, Batu69 said:

Amazon, Apple, Google, Fox News, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mozilla

are among those offering their support to Microsoft.

Let the good fight begin...

[steven36]

23 minutes ago, pc71520 said:

Let the good fight begin...

Like Microsoft cares about any of you ..Go commit a crime  and test the waters and see how fast corporate  America  throws you under the bus  they all sing like jaybirds to the FBI ,NSA etc every day. That was Bill Gates hobby helping out the Feds and since Snowden exposed it all there all the sudden care  i just dont buy it . You trust a snake it will bite you in the bum lol.  Generation  Like were people are brainwashed to think the rich and famous cares about them and the products designed to make them rich have feelings and you die broke and they die rich because you believe  there lies . Being a Fanboy  of anything is just as bad as being a religious fanatic  Idolism is  a sad thing.

 

[pc71520]

18 hours ago, steven36 said:

Like Microsoft cares about any of you

They care about themselves when dealing with the U.S. Government requirements.

I'm too old to be a Fanboy and especially a M$ one.

 

You got it All wrong, and it is not the first time.

After you constantly bashed Windows and Windows users, we witnessed THIS

Complete

 

But I'm used to you; no problem anymore...

 

 

[DKT27]

I'm quite tired with all the gag orders given by courts here, state level courts, who have no right do so, giving orders to block sites nationwide and giving gag orders, preventing anyone from even knowing why they were blocked here.

[lurch234]

And the government will still keep saying its a matter of national security to do what they do.

 

And that always reminds me of this:

[steven36]

19 hours ago, pc71520 said:

After you constantly bashed Windows and Windows users, we witnessed THIS

Complete

I  am a windows user lol  , I'm just not a  fanboy of  windows  i also use Linux and im  not a fanboy of it ether . My family uses windows too  ..You have too use something too access the internet, but you dont have too love the materiel realm to use it , after all its nothing but software code to make things more easy.  but some people act like Microsoft is god  and others act like there the devil and its silly. 

 

Microsoft  has a internal  war brewing  between its users but in the end Microsoft  will  win.. because there closed source .People on Windows 7 done lost already they just die a slow death Next month when they change updates will be phase 2  ..

 

On Linux  the war will go on for as long as they make it because it's open source .Distros have hated each other for 25 years.

 

Regardless  of what ever software i decide to use to access the internet i want the newest they have  .I'm not a business..I'm a person who has time too tweak it to my liking. But if Windows ever got to were It dont do what i want  ,I'm not above using something else because i already have and do .     .

 

 

13 hours ago, lurch234 said:

And the government will still keep saying its a matter of national security to do what they do.

They been doing this every since they signed the patriot act  and I doubt it will change anytime soon, even them getting rid of the patriot act  and replacing it with the freedom act,  they still play the matter of  national security card . And if they cant get the info they need legal they will hack them and  take it anyway,  like they done the Tor Browser and Firefox in the past , Really  making  things illegal  dont stop it from happening  it just makes it look like these  business  are not at fault .

 

It's just like when Apple and FBI went too court  .The FBI  pulled out of court and paid hackers to do it for them ..And now no one will never know what really happened because it's a matter of national security .There going get what they want regardless  .

 

The USA  uses stuff that wont hold up in court for investigation all  the time,  a good example  is a lie detector test , it cant be used in court,  but they use it all the time. . Any lawyer will tell you not to take one, but if you dont you look like you are hiding something. .

[pc71520]

On 3/9/2016 at 4:49 PM, pc71520 said:

no problem anymore...