[liberationtech] Independent UK Critic of NBC has Twitter account suspended after network complains

Tue Jul 31 13:36:44 PDT 2012

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Thanks for the link to the blogpost Jillian.

I didn't read through it all - I don't have to. They have no doubt used the usual BS language of "security", "trust", and "working to make sure this never happens again". I never believe any of this PR script that is trotted out by such companies when they've made a mess of things. It seems to happen again and again with no repercussions.

So the reasoning for removing his account was he published information which was "a not widely available e-mail address"? Hmm, I'm not sure how that e-mail address would communicate on the Internet!

Lina: By law, are e-mail addresses protected by privacy and confidentiality in the US? If they are can the recruitment agents who plague me on Linked-In please be told that? :) 

Bernard.

On 31 Jul 2012, at 21:01, Jillian C. York wrote:

> Twitter has publicly apologized, though only for the fact that their employees notified NBC about the tweet: http://blog.twitter.com/2012/07/our-approach-to-trust-safety-and.html
> 
> On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 8:48 AM, Lina Srivastava <lina at linasrivastava.com> wrote:
> Bernard,
> Even if NBC were claiming libel, it probably wouldn't fly. Defamation requires the declaration of a false statement, and Adams would likely have a fairly strong argument that the first part of his tweet is an opinion, and the second part, the email address, is a fact.  We're fairly narrow about defamation in the US because of the 1st Amendment. (Also, not sure defamation would constitute a cybercrime in the US, as we tend to see it largely as a civil matter-- a tort giving rise to damages, as opposed to a crime. Cyber law would likely apply, though.)  This is a matter of privacy and confidentiality, if the email address were considered to be confidential, and rights of use. 
> 
> Lina
> 
> On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 11:13 AM, Jillian C. York <jilliancyork at gmail.com> wrote:
> Bernard,
> 
> Twitter's explanation was not that the statement was defamatory, but that Adams had posted private information.  The email address he posted, however, is not private: it is available on NBC.com.  That's the entire case.
> 
> -Jillian
> 
> 
> On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 1:39 AM, Bernard Tyers - ei8fdb <ei8fdb at ei8fdb.org> wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> 
> (Slightly devil's advocate/contrarian POV)
> 
> Interesting story, and Adams probably has a case but it never ceases to amaze me when people disconnect their "real world" brains from their "Internet" brains.
> 
> I would be the first person to complain if someone's free-speech was taken away, however, if Adams has said anything defamatory in his Twitter stream, then he is still bound by "real world" laws.
> 
> Just because I say something defamatory or libellous about person X on the Internet, doesn't mean that *IF* it's found that a "real-world" legal process cannot be executed.
> 
> Most people using the Internet may not understand that, but I would have expected journalists to understand it.
> 
> Is it illegal to suspend someones services for naming an executive of a media company for doing XYZ in the USA? I have no idea.
> 
> If it is illegal, then people need to speak out against a ridiculously brain-dead law.
> 
> If it is not illegal, people need to complain to Twitter for freedom of speech. Twitter need to rewind their equally brain-dead actions and apologise to the guy.
> 
> Now, if he has said nothing "illegal" on Twitter, then IMHO, fire up the legal drones Guy. This I unfortunately have direct experience of. At this point it becomes (certainly in parts of Europe) a case of "who's got the bigger legal team".
> 
> (My reasoning comes from Bruce Schneier's argument on laws specific to "cybercrimes". To paraphrase "Prosecution can be difficult in cyberspace. On one hand the crimes are the same.....The laws against certain practices, complete with criminal justice infrastructure to enforce them, are already in place....Fraud is fraud, whether it takes place over the US mail or the Internet.")
> 
> 
> On 31 Jul 2012, at 00:17, David Johnson wrote:
> 
> >
> > http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--critic-of-nbc-has-twitter-account-suspended-after-network-complains.html
> >
> > --
> > David V. Johnson
> > Web Editor
> > Boston Review
> > Website: http://www.bostonreview.net
> >
> > Twitter:
> > http://twitter.com/BostonReview
> > Tumblr: http://bostonreview.tumblr.com
> >
> > Cell: (917)903-3706
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > liberationtech mailing list
> > liberationtech at lists.stanford.edu
> >
> > Should you need to change your subscription options, please go to:
> >
> > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
> >
> > If you would like to receive a daily digest, click "yes" (once you click above) next to "would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?"
> >
> > You will need the user name and password you receive from the list moderator in monthly reminders. You may ask for a reminder here: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
> >
> > Should you need immediate assistance, please contact the list moderator.
> >
> > Please don't forget to follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/Liberationtech
> 
> - --------------------------------------
> Bernard / bluboxthief / ei8fdb
> 
> IO91XM / www.ei8fdb.org
> 
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.17 (Darwin)
> Comment: GPGTools - http://gpgtools.org
> 
> iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJQF5m9AAoJENsz1IO7MIrrcPwH/3Gp/JVZrYaRgx34zB1QnvJ8
> fGC6+GWIOVFsdcITA3uPTrISuMTE8bngCPoz7ogjeH2ErCTsEej12UqHcN3s+bpw
> ffBQJ4oO5fAqtnTA25xtXOea++bA5yRfsYZ/QGfTyMPUCmCw+3dQ5gr1h+84KnLO
> Cmcr/bNsUzbxFvBRuX8f1lh5giLMSPiz1mR/ajO5OniE81F4a2CYGsE7k8juD75/
> a+HyY15qiPEl6uislwcrrzpXN2tVDQqCI8O6R1T4g9uNmHG+SXM5dFMk9FVQ+k4g
> rxN42I4Rb21h/MfRMVbLwxXRlFMKcU6cQ8uEhOR3jO/S0qgeUCqTRA1vcvJI/40=
> =fgEp
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
> _______________________________________________
> liberationtech mailing list
> liberationtech at lists.stanford.edu
> 
> Should you need to change your subscription options, please go to:
> 
> https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
> 
> If you would like to receive a daily digest, click "yes" (once you click above) next to "would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?"
> 
> You will need the user name and password you receive from the list moderator in monthly reminders. You may ask for a reminder here: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
> 
> Should you need immediate assistance, please contact the list moderator.
> 
> Please don't forget to follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/Liberationtech
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> +1-857-891-4244 | jilliancyork.com | @jilliancyork 
> 
> "We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality" - Vaclav Havel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> liberationtech mailing list
> liberationtech at lists.stanford.edu
> 
> Should you need to change your subscription options, please go to:
> 
> https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
> 
> If you would like to receive a daily digest, click "yes" (once you click above) next to "would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?"
> 
> You will need the user name and password you receive from the list moderator in monthly reminders. You may ask for a reminder here: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
> 
> Should you need immediate assistance, please contact the list moderator.
> 
> Please don't forget to follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/Liberationtech
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Lina Srivastava
> --
> linasrivastava.com  |  twitter  |  linkedin 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> +1-857-891-4244 | jilliancyork.com | @jilliancyork 
> 
> "We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality" - Vaclav Havel
> 
> 
> 

- --------------------------------------
Bernard / bluboxthief / ei8fdb

IO91XM / www.ei8fdb.org

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.17 (Darwin)
Comment: GPGTools - http://gpgtools.org

iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJQGEHcAAoJENsz1IO7MIrrdc8H/1mjRqhitk5oXLdHO+cV2+Jr
ESksaH42gT8pFDIL0l9yT5SbmllW/wj5wRO+3pXqTUzajXjhvmM8fIvb0cgjt6ZX
F6w/AtxWTgDivSQSSvh9tuWKn3lP+aJhffEsNX0rRgbQKWe0LX6cOZ6Jfg96YfjT
u0P7GUquvYCUsCmQgVBR4KJAu+A2XcMlm19W7BR9Wns/xQazvmZDFP1/nec7d8je
VKY01rS+0bT1+GThqtbzCtw3W1UdV1FWJqYIus1FcNw6smOruKnw+jogFO5moRxO
FRuta0pckw2QM72OYS+GXEZdaqT3KdproJKoW79MgXZY7UcOR+NN5dc3SjDySpU=
=fkgR
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----