2/9/2015

GooglehandsdatatoUSGovernmentinWikiLeaksespionagecase
(on20150126)

GooglehandsdatatoUSGovernmentin
WikiLeaksespionagecase
MondayJanuary26,08:00AEST
Today,WikiLeaks'lawyershavewrittentoGoogleandtheUSDepartmentofJusticeconcerningaseriousviolationofthe
privacyandjournalisticrightsofWikiLeaks'staff.InvestigationseditorSarahHarrison,SectionEditorJosephFarrelland
seniorjournalistandspokespersonKristinnHrafnssonhavereceivednoticethatGooglehadhandedoveralltheiremails
andmetadatatotheUnitedStatesgovernmentonthebackofalleged'conspiracy'and'espionage'warrantscarryingup
to45yearsinprison.
(https://www.wikileaks.org/)

Archives20062010
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https://wikileaks.org/googlewarrant/press.html

Importantly,thewarrantsrevealforthefirsttimeaclearlistoftheallegedoffencestheUSgovernmentistryingtoapply
initsattemptstobuildaprosecutionagainstJulianAssangeandotherWikiLeaksstaff.Theoffencesadduptoatotalof
45yearsofimprisonment.
TheUSgovernmentisclaiminguniversaljurisdictiontoapplytheEspionageAct,generalConspiracystatuteandthe
ComputerFraudandAbuseActtojournalistsandpublishersahorrifyingprecedentforpressfreedomsaroundthe
world.Onceanoffenceisallegedinrelationtoajournalistortheirsource,thewholemediaorganisation,bythenatureof
itsworkflow,canbetargetedasalleged'conspiracy'.JulianAssange,WikiLeaksEditorinChiefsaid:'WikiLeakshasout
enduredeverythingtheObamaadministrationhasthrownatusandwewilloutenduretheselatest"offences"too.'
Theallegedoffencesare:
Espionage:18U.S.C.793(d)(http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793)imprisonmentupto10years
Conspiracytocommitespionage:18U.S.C.793(g)(http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793)
imprisonmentupto10years
ThetheftorconversionofpropertybelongingtotheUnitedStatesgovernment:18U.S.C.641
(http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/641)imprisonmentupto10years
ViolationoftheComputerFraudandAbuseAct:18U.S.C.1030(http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1030)
imprisonmentupto10years
(general)Conspiracy:18U.S.C.371(http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/371)imprisonmentupto5
years
Inaletter(https://wikileaks.org/googlewarrant/LettertoGoogle.html)totheUSDepartmentofJusticeandtheUnited
StatesDistrictCourtfortheEasternDistrictofVirginia,WikiLeakslawyershaverequestedfurtherdetailsonthe
investigation.Theystate,"WehavereasontobelievethatthesewarrantswereissuedinviolationofthePrivacy
ProtectionActof1980("PPA"),42U.S.C.2200aaet.seq,whichprotectsjournalistsandpublishersfrombeingforcedto
turnovertolawenforcementtheirjournalisticworkproductanddocumentarymaterials.Thesubjectsofthesewarrants
arejournalistsworkingforapublishingorganization."

TheUSDepartmentofJusticeconfirmed(http://www.smh.com.au/world/assangetargetedbyfbiprobeuscourt
documentsreveal2014052038l1p.html)toUSfederalcourton19May2014
(http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/wikileaks_doj_05192014.pdf)thatitwas"veryclearthatthemain,multisubject,criminal
investigationofWikiLeaks'remainsopenandpending',"butthattoreleaseadditionalinformationwould"harm"the
"ongoingDepartmentofJustice(DoJ)andFBIcriminalinvestigationandpendingfutureprosecution".In2012theUS
governmentstatedinmilitarycourtthatthetargetoftheDoJinvestigationincludedthe"founders,ownersandmanagers
ofWikiLeaks".Theinvestigationbegan
(http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/newly_published_secret_grand_jury_orders_and_related_material_shed
asearlyasFebruary2010andhasinvolvedsearchwarrantsandcourtordersfortherecordsofWikiLeaks'associates.
Assangesaid:'IcallonpresidentObamatodotherightthingandcalloffhisdogsforhisownsake.PresidentObamais
settogodowninhistoryasthepresidentwhobroughtmorebogus"espionage"casesagainstthepressthanallprevious
presidentscombined.'

Google'sfailuretonotify
WikiLeaks'legalteamhaswrittentoGoogleexpressingitsdismaythatGooglefailedtonotifythewarrants'targets
immediately.Thefailuretonotifyhaspreventedthethreejournalistsfromprotect[ing]theirinterestsincludingtheirrights
toprivacy,associationandfreedomfromillegalsearches.The"takeeverything"warrantsareunconstitutionallybroad
andappeartoviolatethePrivacyProtectionActsowouldhaveagoodchanceofbeingopposedhowever,Google
handedeverythingoverbeforethatwaspossible.
AlthoughGoogleclaimsthatitwasatsomestageunderagagorderfromtheUSgovernment,thereisnoindicationthat
GooglefoughtthegaganditisunlikelythatthegagjusthappenedtoexpirethedaybeforeChristmas.Similargagsfor
warrantsagainstWikiLeaksjournalistshavebeensuccessfullyfoughtbyTwitterinmuchshortertimeframes.
WhileWikiLeaksjournalists,perhapsuniquely,donotuseGoogleservicesforinternalcommunicationsorfor
communicatingwithsources,thesearchwarrantsnonethelessrepresentasubstantialinvasionoftheirpersonalprivacy
andfreedom.TheinformationhandedovertotheUSgovernmentincludedallemailcontent,metadata,contacts,draft
emails,deletedemailsandIPaddressesconnectedtotheaccounts.Googleredactedthesearchwarrantsbefore
sendingthemtoWikiLeaksstaff.

PressconferenceinGeneva
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2/9/2015

GooglehandsdatatoUSGovernmentinWikiLeaksespionagecase
WikiLeakseditorJulianAssangewasgrantedasyluminAugust2012bytheRepublicofEcuadorduetotheongoing
attemptbytheUnitedStatestobringaprosecutionagainsthim.ThisasylumhasbeenobstructedbySwedenandthe
UnitedKingdom.
OnMonday,26January2015,SwedenmustrespondtohumanrightsconcernsfromtheUNHumanRightsCouncil
(http://www.uprinfo.org/en/review/Sweden/Session21January2015/Summaryofotherstakeholdersinformation#top)
overitscontinuedobstruction(withtheUnitedKingdom)ofMrAssange'sasylum.JudgeBaltasarGarzn,whoisthe
LegalDirectorforJulianAssange'slegalteam,willbeattheUNwiththepublishedsearchwarrantson26Januaryto
speaktothepressfollowingSweden'sresponse.
Furtherinformation:
SwedenfacesactionatUNHumanRightsCounciloverAssange:https://wikileaks.org/swedenfacesactionatUN
(https://wikileaks.org/swedenfacesactionatUN)
Pressconference:Monday26thJanuary,Geneva:DevelopmentsinUSespionagecaseagainstWikiLeaks:
http://2013.pressclub.ch/fr/conference/usswedenespionagecaseagainstwikileaksassange
(http://2013.pressclub.ch/fr/conference/usswedenespionagecaseagainstwikileaksassange)
ThesiegeofJulianAssangeisafarceaspecialinvestigationbyJohnPilger:http://johnpilger.com/articles/the
siegeofjulianassangeisafarceaspecialinvestigation(http://johnpilger.com/articles/thesiegeofjulianassange
isafarceaspecialinvestigation)
http://justice4assange.com/extraditingassange.html(http://justice4assange.com/extraditingassange.html)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/assangecouldfaceespionagetrialinus2154107.html
(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/assangecouldfaceespionagetrialinus2154107.html)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ImXe_EQhUI(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ImXe_EQhUI)
http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/wikileaks_doj_05192014.pdf
(http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/wikileaks_doj_05192014.pdf)
https://wikileaks.org/59InternationalOrganizations.html(https://wikileaks.org/59InternationalOrganizations.html)
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1202703/dojletterrewikileaks61914.pdf
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1202703/dojletterrewikileaks61914.pdf)

https://wikileaks.org/googlewarrant/press.html

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