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ACLU demands FBI explain request to wiretap Facebook Messenger

The US Department of Justice unsuccessfully tried to order Facebook to alter its Messenger code earlier this year.

According to reports from Reuters and the Washington Post, a judge denied the request and a subsequent motion to hold Facebook in contempt for its refusal to comply with the DOJ order.

But, to his credit, his reasoning was that Apple is dedicated to the privacy of its users, and he wasnt willing to set a precedent that endangered the privacy of hundreds of millions of people.

Were asking the court to make public the legal reasoning that decided the case, what authority the Justice Department thought it had to force Facebook to undermine its security infrastructure, and why the court determined the government was wrong.

The bottom line is the US government is making decisions about our privacy behind closed doors, in the shadows of justice.

And, since theres no reason to believe law enforcement agencies wont continue to test the limits of our right to privacy, it follows that those who are opposed to government overreach should have access to case records in order to study and understand precedent.

Original article
Author: The Next Web

TNW is one of the world’s largest online publications that delivers an international perspective on the latest news about Internet technology, business and culture.

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