DoJ Subpoenas Libertarian Website REASON For Anonymous Commenters’ Identities

[Natural Citizen]

Reuters / Tim Wimborne

The Department of Justice issued a grand jury subpoena to the leading libertarian magazine Reason for the identities of anonymous commenters on an online article that they published about the controversial Silk Road court case.

The severity of the punishment shocked a number of members of the public, including the libertarian-leaning audience of Reason.

“Its judges like these that should be taken out back and shot,” a commenter going by the name of Agammamon wrote.

“It's judges like these that will be taken out back and shot,” another corrected him.

“Why waste ammunition? Wood chippers get the message across clearly. Especially if you feed them in feet first,” a third added.

The comments can no longer be seen on a live version of the article, indicating that they were probably removed by moderators.

However, they can be found in the subpoena, which was passed to the lawyer and law blogger at Popehat.com Ken White on the by an anonymous source.

The subpoena outlines several of these comments and a number of others, which were equally vitriolic, while also commanding Reason to appear before a grand jury on June 9 in New York City.

They were hand over the commenters’ IP addresses, names, account information, addresses, billing information and associated devices connected to the users in regard to 18 USC 875, a statute concerning interstate threats.

On June 8, Nick Gillespie wrote a short blog post asking Reason commenters to "refrain from any discussion of the subject of the article at Popehat.com and its contents on our site."

Continued - DOJ subpoenas identities of online commenters for ‘threats’ against judge

[Slave Mentality]

The symptoms of tyranny are ever more apparent. Lives ruined over legitimate comments that many share. The cowards will continue to ramp $#@! like this up as they see the illusion of their control fading quickly. It is an illusion backed by death and destruction, as can be clearly seen here.

When will your visit come?

[limequat]

Getting pretty close to home, there.

[tod evans]

[NACBA]

The Department of Justice has issued a subpoena ordering libertarian website Reason.com to hand over information about their anonymous commenters, accusing those users of “threatening” a federal judge. (RELATED: Former CBS Reporter Sues Justice Department For Illegal Surveillance)
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The grand jury subpeona, issued by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, orders Reason to turn over the names, IP addresses, physical addresses, emails, billing information and telephone numbers of six anonymous commenters. The government’s request also asks Reason to “voluntarily refrain” from disclosing the existence of the grand jury investigation.

The offending comments are from a Nick Gillespie article on the sentencing of Ross Ulbricht, founder of the online black market website Silk Road, to life in prison. A number of the supportive commentators vented their anger at sentencing Judge Katherine Forrest, with some of the more colorful commentators wishing she’d meet an unfortunate demise by way of woodchipper.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/09/do...#ixzz3cegCNfAJ

[Schifference]

shouldn't that be protected speech?

[NACBA]

shouldn't that be protected speech?

"Let me be the first to say this plainly," Turner wrote. "These Judges deserve to be killed."

The FBI reports that Turner also included photographs, phone numbers, work addresses and room numbers of the judges, along with a photo of the building in which they work and a map of its location.

The three judges testified in Brooklyn Wednesday, saying that their staff told them about Turner's postings.

Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, issued a statement about the case Friday:

"There is no place in society for threatening federal judges with violence. Period. We are grateful that the jury saw these threats for what they were and rejected any notion that they were acceptable speech."

Turner's defense had argued that his rants were "political trash talk" protected by the First Amendment.

Two previous trials ended in hung juries.

Turner, who was previously free on bond, was taken into custody pending sentencing, according to the FBI.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_681881.html

[tod evans]

There will be no justice so long as governments functionaries are permitted to hide like roaches in a slum....

[JK/SEA]

you're supposed to end those comments with...''just kidding''....

oh well...wait..someones knocking at the door...should i let them in?...lol..

[Texan4Life]

oh snap

[The Northbreather]

There will be no justice so long as governments functionaries are permitted to hide like roaches in a slum....

^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

[The Northbreather]

This is what happens when your neighbors whine about injustice at a lower level then beg for a more powerful and "just" federal authority.

Complete totalitarianism.

Zero recognition of individual rights.

[SeanTX]

you're supposed to end those comments with...''just kidding''....

oh well...wait..someones knocking at the door...should i let them in?...lol..

Since a "violent threat" was made it's possible that will be used as an excuse to perform a "dynamic entry." In that case, don't worry, they will let themselves in -- if you have dogs in the house maybe you'll have time to get them out back where they *might* be safe. And you better keep those hands where they can be seen until you are thrown to the floor.

Any interaction with the Enforcers carries with it the threat of death or great bodily injury. That makes this sort of thing even more insidious. The risk may be slight, but it's still there.

[Anti Federalist]

Tick tock motherfuckers...

[Natural Citizen]

Tick tock motherfuckers...

Yep.

[tod evans]

Tick tock motherfuckers...

Reported.

[Natural Citizen]

One thing that I'dd add is that it was really stupid for those commenters to put their platform out there like that. I don't really care for Reason myself but irrelevant of that, it seems awfully dumb to implode that which took work to build.

[specsaregood]

It seems to me like this would be a good time for Bryan to make statement about what information is logged at rpfs.
Ideally having him disable all ip logging or having all ip logs automatically clear in a reasonable amount of time.

That way the day he is subpoenaed, he has nothing to turn over. just saying...

[Anti Federalist]

Reported.

We're all on a list, we're all felons.

Just a matter of who they decide to round up today.

[muh_roads]

It seems to me like this would be a good time for Bryan to make statement about what information is logged at rpfs.
Ideally having him disable all ip logging or having all ip logs automatically clear in a reasonable amount of time.

That way the day he is subpoenaed, he has nothing to turn over. just saying...

Everything is kept I'm sure, including deleted PM's.

Full disclosure...I was one of the 600 people that got a subpena on bitcointalk forums because I communicated with BFL in the past. Deleted PM's were handed to the Kansas City court.

[Anti Federalist]

It seems to me like this would be a good time for Bryan to make statement about what information is logged at rpfs.
Ideally having him disable all ip logging or having all ip logs automatically clear in a reasonable amount of time.

That way the day he is subpoenaed, he has nothing to turn over. just saying...

The subpoena is in the form in which I received it, except that I printed it and re-scanned it and redacted the direct phone line of the Assistant U.S. Attorney who issued it.

The subpoena specifies that "identifying information" includes:

1. Subscriber/Account information, if any
2. Associated addressees, email addressees, telephone number(s)
3. IP addressees associated with the postings
4. Billing information to include credit card/bank information, if any
5. Associated devices connected to the user.

Those of us that have donated to the site are well and truly $#@!ed.

But yes, a self "scrubbing" feature of everything else would be nice, if possible.

Because that day is coming, sometime.

[specsaregood]

Everything is kept I'm sure, including deleted PM's.

Yes by default I'm sure they are. That doesn't mean Bryan could not take measures to wipe stuff proactively.

[orenbus]

[Anti Federalist]

The article at PopeHat, which I normally enjoy, sucks.

They are one step away from throwing the very concept of free speech in the woods, because they are running scared.

http://popehat.com/2015/06/08/depart...at-reason-com/

[Anti Federalist]

Yes by default I'm sure they are. That doesn't mean Bryan could not take measures to wipe stuff proactively.

Off to start a thread about that.

[Natural Citizen]

It seems to me like this would be a good time for Bryan to make statement about what information is logged at rpfs.
Ideally having him disable all ip logging or having all ip logs automatically clear in a reasonable amount of time.

That way the day he is subpoenaed, he has nothing to turn over. just saying...

Well. Basically this... IP addresses, names, account information, addresses, billing information and associated devices connected to the users in regard to 18 USC 875, a statute concerning interstate threats.

[presence]

“Why waste ammunition? Wood chippers get the message across clearly. Especially if you feed them in feet first,” a third added.

so it would be bad to add this to my signature line?

[Anti Federalist]

Well. Basically this... IP addresses, names, account information, addresses, billing information and associated devices connected to the users in regard to 18 USC 875, a statute concerning interstate threats.

Typical mission creep.

A set of statutes designed to prosecute kidnapping and extortion is being used to prosecute non compliant and griping mundanes from even the slightest little bit of mouthing off.

[Anti Federalist]

so it would be bad to add this to my signature line?

You already have subversive $#@! in your sig line.

...for protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment...

Expect your SWAT raid shortly.

[donnay]

That's it! We're going off the grid!