Justice Department Subpoenas Reach Far Beyond Google

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=184401156

Begin forwarded message:

From: TClaburn () cmp com
Date: March 29, 2006 7:37:47 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: For IP: Justice Department Subpoenas Reach Far Beyond Google

Justice Department Subpoenas Reach Far Beyond Google
(Embedded image moved to file: pic24393.gif)
By Thomas Claburn
InformationWeek
(Embedded image moved to file: pic03548.gif)
Mar 29, 2006 06:00 PM


In its effort to uphold the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA),  
the U.S.
Department of Justice is leaving no stone unturned. Its widely  
reported issuance
of subpoenas to Internet search companies AOL, MSN, Google, and Yahoo  
is just
the tip of the iceberg: The government has demanded information from  
at least 34
Internet service providers, search companies, and security software  
firms.


Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by  
InformationWeek, the
Department of Justice disclosed that it has issued to subpoenas to a  
broad range
of companies that includes AT&T, Comcast Cable, Cox Communications,  
EarthLink,
LookSmart, SBC Communications (then separate from AT&T), Symantec,  
and Verizon.


Asked which companies objected to, or sought to limit, these subpoenas,
Department of Justice spokesperson Charles Miller declined to comment  
because
the litigation is ongoing. He also declined to comment on utility of the
information gathered by the government.


The documents presented to InformationWeek reveal that some companies  
did object
to the government's demands. In an E-mail sent to the Department of  
Justice last
July, Fernando Laguarda, an attorney representing Cablevision Systems  
Corp.,
characterized some of what the government was asking for as "overly  
broad,
vague, ambitious, and unduly burdensome."


In a letter sent to the Department of Justice in August, Joseph  
Serino Jr., an
attorney representing Verizon, voiced similar objections. However, he  
clearly
states that his objections are routine and intended protect the company.


The one exceptional objection he cites has to do with the sensitivity  
of the
information sought. Serino said Verizon Online is concerned that  
documents might
be forwarded to people working for entities hostile to Verizon  
Online, or suing
the company, including the Justice Department itself, and the  
American Civil
Liberties Union.


Verizon did not respond to requests for comment.


The subpoenas were issued between June and September, 2005. Beyond  
AOL, MSN,
Google, and Yahoo, the only other search engine subpoenaed was  
LookSmart.


It's likely, however, that the government's interest in LookSmart  
stems not from
the company's search engine but from its ownership of Internet  
content filtering
software company Net Nanny.


LookSmart declined to comment about the information it was asked for  
and the
information it provided. EarthLink likewise declined to comment.


The bulk of the subpoenas were directed at Internet service providers  
and makers
of content filtering software. The effectiveness of filtering  
technology is a
critical issue in the COPA case. If the Department of Justice can  
prove that
filters fail to shield minors from explicit material online, COPA may  
well be
reinstated.


The full list of companies subpoenaed by the Department of Justice  
includes:
711Net (Mayberry USA), American Family Online, AOL, ATT, Authentium,  
Bell South,
Cable Vision, Charter Communications, Comcast Cable Company, Computer
Associates, ContentWatch, Cox Communications, EarthLink, Google,
Internet4Families, LookSmart, McAfee, MSN, Qwest, RuleSpace, S4F  
(Advance
Internet Management), SafeBrowse, SBC Communications, Secure  
Computing Corp.,
Security Software Systems, SoftForYou, Solid Oak Software, Surf Control,
Symantec, Time Warner, Tucows (Mayberry USA), United Online, Verizon,  
and Yahoo.


...

-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org
To manage your subscription, go to
 http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/

-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org
To manage your subscription, go to
 http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/