Privacy dispute in social networks

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR8QZ-xzbNzkaaOHpnQ6NM_KpHI-BX7RHj-OFeEoaPcjzg_KUYD" data-sz="f" height="406" name="jLxjcq0QvwL83M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR8QZ-xzbNzkaaOHpnQ6NM_KpHI-BX7RHj-OFeEoaPcjzg_KUYD" style="height: 179px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 282px;" width="640" /><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"> </div>Key technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Twitter on Friday filed in support of Facebook's dispute with the New York County District Attorney's office over the collection of user data in bulk under a gag order for a fraud investigation.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union also filed an amicus curiae brief Friday in support of the Facebook plea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Facebook said in June that a court in New York directed it to turn over to law enforcement virtually all records and communications for 381 accounts, including photos, private messages and other information. The social networking company was also prohibited from informing the targeted persons who included "high scholars to grandparents, from all over New York and across the United States."</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of the 381 people whose accounts were covered under the warrants, 62 were later charged in a disability fraud case, Facebook said. The NYCLU in a statement Friday objected to "broad fishing expeditions" by government into personal and social conversations with family and friends with no regard to user privacy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">In its appeal in the appellate division of the New York State Supreme Court, Facebook is asking the court for the return or destruction of the data. It has also asked for a ruling on whether the warrants, which authorized collection of large amounts of personal information and communications without an "apparent connection to the crimes under investigation, or procedures requiring the return of the seized information," are in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures of property.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The company is also asking for a ruling on whether the gag provisions of the warrants violated the Stored Communications Act and the First Amendment, and as importantly whether it has standing to challenge the warrants on behalf of its users.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trial court had ruled in the negative in September on these issues, according to a Facebook filing. The court documents and warrants were unsealed after Facebook's appeal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yelp in their motion for leave to file an amicus curiae brief argue that the service provider has third-party standing to raise the constitutional rights of its subscribers, particularly as the provider is subject to a gag order.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Unless Facebook is able to assert its subscribers' constitutional rights -- and any of its own rights -- the legality of the government's actions with respect to those subscribers will escape review altogether. And had the government chosen to indict no one, no one would have been the wiser," according to the filing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Foursquare Labs, Kickstarter, Meetup and Tumblr separately filed a brief asking that the trial court's order should be reversed and the bulk warrants quashed. To act as custodians of their users' private information, Internet companies must have the choice to either object to unlawful government intrusions or notify users of such intrusions, according to the filing. "The Trial Court's order denying both options must be reversed," the companies said in an amicus curiae brief</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div></div>

social_network Privacy dispute in social networks

  Key technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Twitter on Friday filed in support of Facebook's dispute with the New York Co...

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Privacy dispute in social networks

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR8QZ-xzbNzkaaOHpnQ6NM_KpHI-BX7RHj-OFeEoaPcjzg_KUYD" data-sz="f" height="406" name="jLxjcq0QvwL83M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR8QZ-xzbNzkaaOHpnQ6NM_KpHI-BX7RHj-OFeEoaPcjzg_KUYD" style="height: 179px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 282px;" width="640" /><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">  </div> Key technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Twitter on Friday filed in support of Facebook's dispute with the New York County District Attorney's office over the collection of user data in bulk under a gag order for a fraud investigation.<br /> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union also filed an amicus curiae brief Friday in support of the Facebook plea.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Facebook said in June that a court in New York directed it to turn over to law enforcement virtually all records and communications for 381 accounts, including photos, private messages and other information. The social networking company was also prohibited from informing the targeted persons who included "high scholars to grandparents, from all over New York and across the United States."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Of the 381 people whose accounts were covered under the warrants, 62 were later charged in a disability fraud case, Facebook said. The NYCLU in a statement Friday objected to "broad fishing expeditions" by government into personal and social conversations with family and friends with no regard to user privacy.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In its appeal in the appellate division of the New York State Supreme Court, Facebook is asking the court for the return or destruction of the data. It has also asked for a ruling on whether the warrants, which authorized collection of large amounts of personal information and communications without an "apparent connection to the crimes under investigation, or procedures requiring the return of the seized information," are in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures of property.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The company is also asking for a ruling on whether the gag provisions of the warrants violated the Stored Communications Act and the First Amendment, and as importantly whether it has standing to challenge the warrants on behalf of its users.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The trial court had ruled in the negative in September on these issues, according to a Facebook filing. The court documents and warrants were unsealed after Facebook's appeal.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yelp in their motion for leave to file an amicus curiae brief argue that the service provider has third-party standing to raise the constitutional rights of its subscribers, particularly as the provider is subject to a gag order.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "Unless Facebook is able to assert its subscribers' constitutional rights -- and any of its own rights -- the legality of the government's actions with respect to those subscribers will escape review altogether. And had the government chosen to indict no one, no one would have been the wiser," according to the filing.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Foursquare Labs, Kickstarter, Meetup and Tumblr separately filed a brief asking that the trial court's order should be reversed and the bulk warrants quashed. To act as custodians of their users' private information, Internet companies must have the choice to either object to unlawful government intrusions or notify users of such intrusions, according to the filing. "The Trial Court's order denying both options must be reversed," the companies said in an amicus curiae brief</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">  </div> </div>

social_network Privacy dispute in social networks

  Key technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Twitter on Friday filed in support of Facebook's dispute with the New York...

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