EFF Defending Rights in Government Attempt to Access Users' Twitter Records

From Eff.org:

Press Releases

February 8th, 2011

Legal Battle Over Government Demands for Twitter Records Unsealed by Court

Hearing Set for February 15 in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, VA - A federal court in Alexandria, Virginia today unsealed motions filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union, and others concerning government attempts to obtain Twitter account records about three individuals in connection with its WikiLeaks investigation. The documents were originally filed under seal late last month.
One of the newly-available motions is a request to unseal the still-secret court records of the government's attempts to collect private records from Twitter, Inc., as well as other companies who may have received demands for information from the government. The second motion seeks to overturn the December 14 court order requiring Twitter to provide information about its users. The third motion was subsequently filed to unseal the original two motions, A hearing on the first two motions is set for 10:30 a.m. on February 15 at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.
The ACLU and EFF represent Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic parliamentarian and one of the Twitter users whose records were sought by the government. The motion was joined by attorneys from the law firm Keker & Van Nest LLP and the Law Office of John D. Cline on behalf of Jacob Appelbaum and Rop Gonggrijp, respectively, as well as local counsel in Virginia. The government had also requested information concerning Appelbaum and Gonggrijp's Twitter accounts.
"We are troubled that the original court order requiring Twitter to turn over its users' private records was filed under seal.," said Aden Fine, staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. "Except in truly extraordinary circumstances, Internet users should receive notice and an opportunity to go to court to defend their constitutional rights before their privacy is compromised. That's what is happening now, and we are hopeful that the court will unseal the rest of the sealed materials."
"Twitter is a publication and communication service, so the information sought by the government relates to what these individuals said and where they were when they said it," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn. "This raises serious First and Fourth Amendment concerns. It is especially troubling since the request seeks information about all statements made by these people, regardless of whether their speech relates to WikiLeaks."
Attorneys for Jonsdottir are Fine and Benjamin Siracusa-Hillman of the ACLU, Rebecca Glenberg of the ACLU of Virginia and Cohn, Lee Tien, Marcia Hofmann and Kevin Bankston of EFF.
For more details on attending next week's hearing contact press@eff.org or media@aclu.org.
For the newly unsealed documents:
https://www.eff.org/cases/government-demands-twitter-records
Contacts:
Cindy Cohn
Legal Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
cindy@eff.org
Rachel Myers
Media Relations
American Civil Liberties Union
media@aclu.org

Finding Artistic Outlets in Law School

Despite being a full-time student who is enjoying her studies immensely at the University of Ottawa - which means I seize every opportunity for a guest lecture, court visit and volunteer - I have made supporting and being involved in the arts a priority. I think this is partially because I have been inspired by other professionals, such as Professor Natasha Bakht and David Jewitt, who maintain interesting careers, families and artistic commitments. It is possible to do what you love and love what you do.

The Live Rush program started at the National Arts Centre (NAC) when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa and I am pleased to re-join the program. My husband and I were subscribers to the Dance series at the NAC and enjoyed the 2009-2010 season. This year the Live Rush program enabled us to continue as patrons of the arts on a revised budget, for which we are both very thankful. We attended Ted Robinson's performance last fall and recently saw A Year of Magical Thinking. February is going to be a busy month with Savion Glover, Atlantic Ballet Theatre, Wayne McGregor, and the Mariinksy/Kirov Ballet.

However, patronizing the arts is only one facet for me, a performer. As a Master's student, I learned quickly that I was happiest when I was busy. The arts are a crucial part of having a balanced life in which I am professionally  productive and intellectually stimulated. By dancing, acting and singing I make new friends, create beauty, and use another part of my brain and body. The exercise alone is beneficial! This is why I decided in the middle of the exam period in December to perform  at the Gladstone Theatre as a dancer in their production of It's a Wonderful Life. It was rewarding to put in long days of studying knowing I could step into another world and dress up and perform each night. I slept better, felt better and studied better because I was able to blow off steam and stick to a schedule. In the end, I performed better on my exams. I think I gained important time management and self-knowledge that will see me through a demanding and enjoyable career in law.