This is an interesting and important next step in the WL story.
From a political standpoint, somebody is going to have to pay somewhere. It will be interesting to see if they apply current law, create new laws, or work extra-judicially. My guess, and the way this article indicates the story is heading, is that they find some existing law to apply. After all, with a legal system as complex as the United States has, if they want you they'll find something you're guilty of. Remember that they got the gangster Al Capone not for breaking prohibition, gambling, or murder: they got him for tax evasion.
If they keep heading this way we all need to pay careful attention to what WL gets charged with, mainly because it will set a precedent for the rest of us.
That's the first thing I said when I looked at it. Are all the people who've merely subscribed to them on Twitter considered part of the investigation? That's quite scary to me.
I think that 'subscriber' refers to the account owner as they are 'subscribing' to Twitter's service (in the same way that your ISP considers you a subscriber).
> The following customer or subscriber account information
> for each account registered to...
That sounds to me like customer and subscriber are being used as synonyms. Maybe someone else more legal-headed can clarify.
What is interesting is that according to the Salon article, Twitter responded by requesting permission to disclose the existence of the subpoena to their customers, leading to the unsealing order that allowed for this document to be published.
There's something inherently hinky about lifting private communication from a member of the national parliament of a NATO member democratic state, then not telling anyone until a month later.
From a political standpoint, somebody is going to have to pay somewhere. It will be interesting to see if they apply current law, create new laws, or work extra-judicially. My guess, and the way this article indicates the story is heading, is that they find some existing law to apply. After all, with a legal system as complex as the United States has, if they want you they'll find something you're guilty of. Remember that they got the gangster Al Capone not for breaking prohibition, gambling, or murder: they got him for tax evasion.
If they keep heading this way we all need to pay careful attention to what WL gets charged with, mainly because it will set a precedent for the rest of us.