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Sonic.net Fought For Tor Developer's Rights
Fought Secret Court Order Against Wikileaks Supporter
In contrast with so many other ISPs, Independent California ISP Sonic.net has fought for consumer rights wherever possible. CEO Dane Jasper recently decried how ISPs are engaged in all manner of sleazy non-transparent user tracking, ranging from clickstream sales to new "man in the middle" search traffic manipulation. The company also recently opposed new data retention laws, noting that greater storage of user data means greater security and privacy risks. Now the Wall Street Journal has obtained documents showing Sonic fought a secret court order to obtain data on Wikileaks supporter Jacob Appelbaum:
quote:
Sonic said it fought the government's order and lost, and was forced to turn over information. Challenging the order was "rather expensive, but we felt it was the right thing to do," said Sonic's chief executive, Dane Jasper. The government's request included the email addresses of people Mr. Appelbaum corresponded with the past two years, but not the full emails. Both Google and Sonic pressed for the right to inform Mr. Appelbaum of the secret court orders, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Appelbaum, who both supported and volunteered for Wikileaks, is a developer for the Tor project, and has not been charged with any crime.
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FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Lost - that is a key point

They fought an expensive battle and lost. I bet they won't fight future court orders to turn over information, especially from a FISA court.
talz13
join:2006-03-15
Avon, OH

talz13

Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

In the original monday morning articles link ("The Little ISP That Stood Up to the Government"), it also stated

On Aug. 1, Sonic posted a blog post called help us protect your privacy online, which informed users of a new policy that it would retain IP address logs for just two weeks. Storing logs longer … would potentially make our customers the target of invasions of privacy, the company wrote on its blog.

So unless there is legislation that enforces minimum data retention, the government's next subpoena will come with a reply that simply says Sonic.net doesn't have the requested information.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

said by talz13:

In the original monday morning articles link ("The Little ISP That Stood Up to the Government"), it also stated

On Aug. 1, Sonic posted a blog post called help us protect your privacy online, which informed users of a new policy that it would retain IP address logs for just two weeks. Storing logs longer … would potentially make our customers the target of invasions of privacy, the company wrote on its blog.

So unless there is legislation that enforces minimum data retention, the government's next subpoena will come with a reply that simply says Sonic.net doesn't have the requested information.

I believe legislation requiring just that is already being considered in Congress.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
yea. I'm LOST as to why this crap is even necessary. ISPs shouldn't have to keep these records.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

said by ArrayList:

yea. I'm LOST as to why this crap is even necessary. ISPs shouldn't have to keep these records.

What is so hard to understand. Government forces businesses to maintain hundreds of different business records as part of their power to regulate businesses. Businesses hate maintaining all these records but courts back the government every time.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

these are only necessary because someone says they are. they don't really serve any purpose. IP addresses are not valid way to identify a person.

Matt3
All noise, no signal.
Premium Member
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC

Matt3

Premium Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

said by ArrayList:

these are only necessary because someone says they are. they don't really serve any purpose. IP addresses are not valid way to identify a person.

But they can be used as pieces of a puzzle. This is the FISA court, not the RIAA/MPAA. We're in the big leagues now and well beyond civil matters, we're talking (in the eyes of the government) about national security.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

F*** national security. National security is over hyped more than the new iThingie.

Camaro
Question everything
Premium Member
join:2008-04-05
Westfield, MA

2 recommendations

Camaro to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
Ummm you show me where they are regulating anything that benefits us or protects us, they are only forcing this because they want the isp's to keep a nice clean record and basically doing there job for the FBI or whoever comes knocking. Our food supply they can't even keep track of with all the people getting sick and dying in this country because they can't afford more food inspectors,but be damned they always get that military budget that is like a invisible force that can never be touched.I mean I could go on forever about this but I think people get the point.Oh yea the protests that are finally coming about because people are so pissed and they can't take the shit anymore of what wall street did to this country, and for once I am proud to be a American again.

Oh yea show me where wall street kept all those meticulous records that they were regulated to keep.
DjEclipse
join:2007-11-20
Niagara Falls, ON

DjEclipse

Member

Re: Lost - that is a key point

said by Camaro:

Ummm you show me where they are regulating anything that benefits us or protects us, they are only forcing this because they want the isp's to keep a nice clean record and basically doing there job for the FBI or whoever comes knocking. Our food supply they can't even keep track of with all the people getting sick and dying in this country because they can't afford more food inspectors,but be damned they always get that military budget that is like a invisible force that can never be touched.I mean I could go on forever about this but I think people get the point.Oh yea the protests that are finally coming about because people are so pissed and they can't take the shit anymore of what wall street did to this country, and for once I am proud to be a American again.

Oh yea show me where wall street kept all those meticulous records that they were regulated to keep.

So true!

DataRiker
Premium Member
join:2002-05-19
00000

DataRiker to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
The real losers are the American People. Liberty flushed down the drain once again.

PhoenixDown
FIOS is Awesome
Premium Member
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY

1 recommendation

PhoenixDown

Premium Member

The true issue is the secrecy behind the request

It violates the very spirit of one being able to openly face their accusers in a court of law.
Wilsdom
join:2009-08-06

1 edit

Wilsdom

Member

Abuse of power

Again a process set up to disrupt networks of foreign government spies and terrorist plots is used exclusively to violate civil liberties.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

1 recommendation

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: Abuse of power

yep. and that is what they were designed to do. there is no way to fight terrorism without destroying civil rights. I'll say it again, the terrorists have won.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Abuse of power

said by ArrayList:

there is no way to fight terrorism without destroying civil rights.

So, what is your solution then? Give in to them? Let them blow things up? End democracy and replace it with Ummah?

Do you even have a solution other than give up?
clone (banned)
join:2000-12-11
Portage, IN

3 recommendations

clone (banned)

Member

Re: Abuse of power

Everything's black and white to you people, isn't it?

And by you people, I mean the deluded, pants-wetting, boot-licking, followers who HONESTLY believe the government's lies that there are "terrorists" around every corner, in every city, every state, and every town just waiting to blow things up.

It must be awful living that way. I live every day to the fullest, and if I get blown to smithereens then I guess it was just my time. Until then, I won't let the terrorists win by buying into all this security theater.

Grow up, and realize that you've been lied to. There is no reason to be naive anymore. This isn't about Ummah. This is about us, and the sooner all you "me-too" minions stop parroting the lie, the sooner we can actually enjoy our democracy again.

Although, I believe your screen name says it all.
DjEclipse
join:2007-11-20
Niagara Falls, ON

DjEclipse

Member

Re: Abuse of power

said by clone:

Everything's black and white to you people, isn't it?

And by you people, I mean the deluded, pants-wetting, boot-licking, followers who HONESTLY believe the government's lies that there are "terrorists" around every corner, in every city, every state, and every town just waiting to blow things up.

It must be awful living that way. I live every day to the fullest, and if I get blown to smithereens then I guess it was just my time. Until then, I won't let the terrorists win by buying into all this security theater.

Grow up, and realize that you've been lied to. There is no reason to be naive anymore. This isn't about Ummah. This is about us, and the sooner all you "me-too" minions stop parroting the lie, the sooner we can actually enjoy our democracy again.

Although, I believe your screen name says it all.

911 was an inside job, it was the start of the end of our freedoms. Everything they are doing they said is to "protect us" when in reality the only thing we need protecting against is the ones taking away our freedoms and rights. There are no "terrorists", the terrorists are in government and they are the globalists.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5 to clone

Premium Member

to clone
said by clone:

Everything's black and white to you people, isn't it?

And by you people, I mean the deluded, pants-wetting, boot-licking, followers who HONESTLY believe the government's lies that there are "terrorists" around every corner, in every city, every state, and every town just waiting to blow things up.

It must be awful living that way. I live every day to the fullest, and if I get blown to smithereens then I guess it was just my time. Until then, I won't let the terrorists win by buying into all this security theater.

Grow up, and realize that you've been lied to. There is no reason to be naive anymore. This isn't about Ummah. This is about us, and the sooner all you "me-too" minions stop parroting the lie, the sooner we can actually enjoy our democracy again.

Although, I believe your screen name says it all.

And I believe you don't have a clue about the effect of terror attacks. And the danger of terror plots that succeed is not the relatively few people killed and maimed. It is the damage done to financial systems and the economy that large scale successful attacks would engender. Those results affect millions and damage the country and all its people.

P.S.> And your personal attacks are way off base. I'm not worried about my own physical well being. But do worry about the effects on the economy.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:

said by ArrayList:

there is no way to fight terrorism without destroying civil rights.

Do you even have a solution other than give up?

No, I don't have any other solutions. But giving up civil liberities is not a direction we should have even considered. That is one of the things that the extremist can't stand. We had the upper hand and we fell into their trap. Al Qaeda had specific goals for 9/11 and this was one of them.

This false sense of safety is a load of B.S. I'd rather have my civil liberties than trust that my failing government can protect me. Since 9/11 they haven't caught any terrorists with these laws.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Abuse of power

said by ArrayList:

Since 9/11 they haven't caught any terrorists with these laws.

Really? Well the facts are otherwise.

»www.chron.com/news/artic ··· 5965.php

Inhofe said more than 40 terrorist plots have been prevented since the Sept. 11 attacks, thanks to counterterrorism agencies created afterward like the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center as well as the Patriot Act, which expanded law enforcement's ability to investigate individual's suspected of terrorist-related activities.

The foiled plots include the planned attack on Fort Dix, N.J., by a tiny cell of homegrown terrorists in 2007 and the 2002 plot to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the U.S.

»www.heritage.org/researc ··· -stories
Details on all the plots prevented are at link above, along with trials and convictions.

39 Terror Plots—Foiled

The Heritage Foundation began tracking foiled terror plots in 2007. At that point, there had been at least 19 foiled plots since 9/11.[1] Since this initial publication, Heritage has periodically published updates and refined the data to ensure that all qualifying plots were represented.[2] All data contained in the terror plots research is obtained from public information and contains no sensitive or classified information. (This paper does not include the three terror plots that were not foiled—(1) the Little Rock military recruiting center shooting in 2009, (2) the Los Angeles airport ticket counter shooting in 2002, and (3) the Fort Hood shooting in 2009, where 16 people were killed.)

And the danger of terror plots that succeed is not the relatively few people killed and maimed. It is the damage done to financial systems and the economy that large scale successful attacks would engender. Those results affect millions and damage the country and all its people.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: Abuse of power

death of a thousand cuts or instant death? I choose instant death.

we cannot keep defending the lies. most of the problems this country has were brought on by it's own actions. Keep trying to stop the destruction and you will only help cause it.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Another plot foiled:
»www.politico.com/news/st ··· 651.html

DataRiker
Premium Member
join:2002-05-19
00000

DataRiker

Premium Member

Dane Japsper

Dane Jasper deserves some serious kudos for this. I will send him one once I'm done with this post.
calibax
join:2000-12-08
Sunnyvale, CA

1 recommendation

calibax

Member

Dane Jasper

Over the years Dane Jasper has consistently shown a very high level of commitment to his users and their privacy. This isn't the first time he's spent money to stand up for users rights. I appreciate him and his company for their service and their attitude.

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

Selenia

Premium Member

Re: Dane Jasper

I would certainly buy his service in a minute, if it was provided in MA. Even if it is, it'd be over Verizon's crappy, poorly maintained infrastructure. That infrastructure is why I use TWC service backhauled 1/4 mile from the Pittsfield line(TWC's end of service area) to my house via high grade wifi radios and antennas.