Google finally admits to handing over email and IP addresses of WikiLeaks employees to the FBI

[Justin Kahn]

As we all know, companies like Google are under pressure from government agencies to hand over private data from time to time. Recently new information surfaced regarding the search giant passing data to the FBI regarding WikiLeaks some years ago, and now WikiLeaks is demanding answers.

Dating back to 2012 when the initial warrants were served to Google, it has taken 3 years for the company to tell WikiLeaks about it. Google says this was due to a gag order put on it by the government, but regardless WikiLeaks said it isn’t happy and that the delay may cause serious issues surrounding "privacy, association and freedom from illegal searches" for it in the future.

While WikiLeaks is asking Google for a list of all the details given to the government and whether or not the search giant attempted to challenge the warrants in anyway, the company has only heard from Google once on the matter so far. That being the Christmas Eve 2014 communication first informing WikiLeaks of the issue. The letter contained some details on Google’s cooperation with the FBI including how it handed over all emails and IP addresses pertaining to Wiki employees Joseph Farrell, Sarah Harrison and Kristinn Hrafnsson. It then described the gag order that was in place, without divulging any specific time frame for it.

While Google would like us to think it is fairly responsible about its cooperation with the government, WikiLeaks’ Kristinn Hrafnsson doesn’t seem to care. He said that it makes him sick knowing the FBI read the words he wrote to console his mother regarding a death in the family.

Google is yet to respond to the WikiLeaks demands.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59521-google-finally-admits-handing-over-email-ip-addresses.html

 

[cliffordcooley]

Google says this was due to a gag order put on it by the government, but regardless WikiLeaks said it isn’t happy

Talk about irony!

WikiLeaks is not happy about loosing privacy! I gotta ask which side of the fence, these guys want to stand on?

 

[JakeT]

Google says this was due to a gag order put on it by the government, but regardless WikiLeaks said it isn’t happy

Talk about irony!

WikiLeaks is not happy about loosing privacy! I gotta ask which side of the fence, these guys want to stand on?

What's not clear here? Google is not the company we all think it is. It IS Big Brother in disguise.

Oh and loosing is not even a word. It's losing you're looking for, look it up.

 

[cliffordcooley]

It's losing you're looking for, look it up.

Maybe!
But I'm not gonna luz any sleep over trying to figure out which spelling to use. I'm not a professional writer and never will claim to be. Thanks for the heads up, and next time don't be so sarcastic with your response by saying "look it up". You never know the "oo" could have been a typo. But in this case I have to admit it wasn't.

 

[JakeT]

Luuzer

 

[cliffordcooley]

Luuzer

WOW, we have an arrogant member. You won't last long around here.

 

[Guest]

I'm not sure everyone here understands how a warrant works. I don't think wikilinks does either apparently. Once officials obtain a warrant from a judge, officials not longer have to wait to search and seize. You can only challenge a warrant AFTER it has been used, which means, the second the judge allowed a warrant, there was no way for google to physically stop officials from taking information. The FBI would have had the emails no matter what google did at that point. The FBI probably would not have hesitated to look either.

If a judge allows a warrant for officials to search your home, they will search your home. You can only try to take the state, or FBI in googles case, to court AFTER it happens. Officials are supposed to show a judge that they have probable cause to search in order to obtain the warrant, so the question would be "What was the probable cause against google that the judge see reason to allow for a warrant?" If the cause was not just, it's time for google to do something, but there's still no way for them to prevent the FBI from taking their warranted information in the first place.

A warrant is a 100% green light for officials to search and seize if need be. If you try to contest a warrant beforehand, the only way would be try and physically do something about it... which means you'll probably get shot or tazed. There's no court date to stop a warrant before it is used.

 

[Guest]

So everyone keep that in mind before you point fingers at google before even noticing what the govt did to google.

 

[Guest]

Even if the information was encrypted, the FBI could simply take the key from google once they had a warrant, by the way. Google would only be able to change their encryption afterwards on the "relevant", warranted information.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

As far as I know WikiLeaks are not the good guys either and they didn't seem to lose any sleep over any classified or confidential details they spilled. That said, two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[RodentProblem]

People at Wikileaks, Ed Snowden have stood up (very bravely might add with great danger to themselves) and pretty much proven the the NSA mines ALL USA data (internet, google searches, Skye, mobile). How can you say the Wikileaks are the bad guys(really)?? There is nothing private in USA, your govt. can see everything you are doing.

Snowden blew the whistle on your charade and got labelled as a spy, got charged under some WW1 law that can't be defended against. Ultimately he was helped by Wikileaks Assange and got away and lives in Russia. So much for American freedom of speech and rights. Glad I'm not an American. Your govt. worst hypocrites...

 

[Guest]

"How can you say the Wikileaks are the bad guys(really)??"

You say that like information on the NSA spying is the only thing wikileaks, leaks.... Which was really mostly Snowden. The concept is nice sure, but it's sort of like a step or two above anonymous. Anons, operations may be good. they may be bad. They have and will be both. Sort of like wikileaks.

Now as for the U.S. govt being hypocrites I can agree completely on. It is a fact. It is being run more and more by big businesses, corporations, and banks and less by the People. I would even agree that Snowden should not be charged at all the U.S. for making the NSA spying public. But as for wikileaks? Common now. They leak(ed) what they can. period.

 

[Guest]

" I would even agree that Snowden should not be charged at all the U.S.

correcting my typo there

at all the by** the U.S.

 

[Guest]

"Snowden blew the whistle on your charade"

You say that like we all chose to be apart of it. The U.S. govt (and the corporations it answers to) have gotten very good at relying on the ignorance of the majority of people with the U.S. to let it do what it wants. Nearly all of us in the United States who actually understand what the NSA actually is oppose it. DON'T ASSUME OUR POLITICIANS REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES ANYMORE. DO NOT THROW THOSE OF US WHO ARE AWARE IN THE SAME WAGON AS OUR GOVERNMENT. It is not my charade. It is a charade of only a handful of people. NOT the masses. It's because of your comment that makes me believe you don't know who you are really pointing your fingers at. I hope you understand now how irrationally insulting that was.

 

[Guest]

"Snowden blew the whistle on your charade"

You say that like we all chose to be apart of it. The U.S. govt (and the corporations it answers to) have gotten very good at relying on the ignorance of the majority of people with the U.S. to let it do what it wants.

typo: majority of people within** the U.S.

 

[Nobina]

Google says this was due to a gag order put on it by the government, but regardless WikiLeaks said it isn’t happy

Talk about irony!

WikiLeaks is not happy about loosing privacy! I gotta ask which side of the fence, these guys want to stand on?

What's not clear here? Google is not the company we all think it is. It IS Big Brother in disguise.

Except we already knew that Google is "big brother", they barely try to hide it. And it's not just Google, they're all botnets so you can pretty much forget about privacy on the internet. You can always install GNU/Linux and all that privacy crap but it ruins the experience of using the internet and OS.

 

[Bubbajim]

Google says this was due to a gag order put on it by the government, but regardless WikiLeaks said it isn’t happy

WikiLeaks is not happy about loosing privacy!

Oh and loosing is not even a word. It's losing you're looking for, look it up.

Loosing most definitely is a word. Look it up. As in, "upon loosing the arrow from my bow, I realised I'd aimed at a pedantic nerd, and was happy."

 

[Guest]

Talk about irony!

WikiLeaks is not happy about loosing privacy! I gotta ask which side of the fence, these guys want to stand on?

You sir are clueless. Normally I let the bad one liners pass by without notice, but some things are little more important than perpetuating an almost willful ignorance.

 

[cliffordcooley]

You sir are clueless. Normally I let the bad one liners pass by without notice, but some things are little more important than perpetuating an almost willful ignorance.

If you are going to claim you others are ignorant, you are going to have to prove you are not otherwise you risk being labeled a troll. Until then good day to you sir troll.

 

[OneSpeed]

Google says this was due to a gag order put on it by the government, but regardless WikiLeaks said it isn’t happy

Talk about irony!

WikiLeaks is not happy about loosing privacy! I gotta ask which side of the fence, these guys want to stand on?

What's not clear here? Google is not the company we all think it is. It IS Big Brother in disguise.

Oh and loosing is not even a word. It's losing you're looking for, look it up.

The next time you use Yahoo, Hotmail, .me, or any other free email service, keep telling yourself this "Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, et al, will never give in to a court order from the FBI. Just keep telling yourself.