TWITTER CRACKDOWN:Activist Arrested for Using Social Network
g under p
Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200
Listen/Watch/Read
* Twitter Crackdown: NYC Activist Arrested for Using Social Networking Site during G-20 Protest in Pittsburgh *
Elliot Madison was arrested last month during the G-20 protests in Pittsburgh
when police raided his hotel room. Police say Madison and a co-defendant used
computers and a radio scanner to track police movements and then passed on that
information to protesters using cell phones and the social networking site
Twitter. Madison is being charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution,
criminal use of a communication facility, and possession of instruments of
crime. Exactly one week later, Madison's New York home was raided by FBI agents,
who conducted a sixteen-hour search. We speak to Elliot Madison and his
attorney, Martin Stolar.
It continues to amaze me how much this country is slowly but surely becoming a police state. It can be said it is clearly becoming more and more difficult to protest peacefully in this country, if the FBI gets away with a case as weak as this.
Peace
* Twitter Crackdown: NYC Activist Arrested for Using Social Networking Site during G-20 Protest in Pittsburgh *
Elliot Madison was arrested last month during the G-20 protests in Pittsburgh
when police raided his hotel room. Police say Madison and a co-defendant used
computers and a radio scanner to track police movements and then passed on that
information to protesters using cell phones and the social networking site
Twitter. Madison is being charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution,
criminal use of a communication facility, and possession of instruments of
crime. Exactly one week later, Madison's New York home was raided by FBI agents,
who conducted a sixteen-hour search. We speak to Elliot Madison and his
attorney, Martin Stolar.
It continues to amaze me how much this country is slowly but surely becoming a police state. It can be said it is clearly becoming more and more difficult to protest peacefully in this country, if the FBI gets away with a case as weak as this.
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And Martin Stolar, explain the charges. They include charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution, criminal use of a communication facility, and possession of instruments of crime. What does that mean?
MARTIN STOLAR: Essentially, what Elliot is charged with is using the computer or the cell phone to put up an announcement that said that the police had issued an order to disperse. Having done that and having informed people that the police had issued the order, then it is claimed that that announcement hindered prosecution somehow by, I guess, having people avoid being arrested. It would seem to me that that is something that provides some benefit to the police department, in terms of saving them the expenditure of resources in processing people. But they’ve decided to criminalize that communication, or at least in their complaint that’s what they say, that the communication that said, “Hey, there’s been a dispersal order; everybody be aware of it,” somehow turns into a crime of hindering prosecution. The communication facility then, the cell phone or the computer that was used to post that message, becomes an instrument of the crime, and the use of that mass communication facility becomes, they claim under Pennsylvania law, a third crime.
This is just unbelievable. It is the thinnest, silliest case that I’ve ever seen. It tends to criminalize support services for people who are involved in lawful protest activity. And it’s just shocking that somebody could be arrested for essentially walking next to somebody and saying, “Hey, don’t go down that street, because the police have issued an order to disperse. Stay away from there.” All of a sudden, essentially, that becomes the crime that Elliot and his co-defendant are charged with.
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And they may be the first to be charged criminally with sending information electronically to protesters about the police. What’s the significance of this in terms of First Amendment rights?
ELLIOT MADISON: We’re not—we’re not the first. We’re the first in this country. During the Twitter revolution going on in Iran, in Moldova, in Guatemala, in the earlier newscast about Honduras, in all those cases, repressive governments have arrested folks for using Twitter. The only difference is, in all those cases the State Department, the US State Department, has condemned the arrest of these Twitter activists and had gone so far in the Iranian situation, the State Department, according to an article, asked Twitter to postpone its regular maintenance so as not to interfere with Iranian protesters to be able to send out their tweets. So the only difference is we’re the first arrested here. But this is a—over the past two years, repressive governments have been arresting people. The only difference is, the State Department has supported—I’m expecting the State Department will come out and support us also.
MARTIN STOLAR: Oh, you think so, do you?
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well—
MARTIN STOLAR: I mean, it is shocking. This is really the first case, and my preliminary research has found that this is the only case where people involved in protest activity have been arrested for using or for passing out information. Essentially, this country has the First Amendment. The First Amendment protects speech, and it protects protest activity. And what Elliot and his co-defendant are accused of doing tends to support speech and protest activity itself. It is speech that goes out. Putting something up on Twitter is a form of speech. And we have some serious First Amendment problems in connection with the prosecution in Pennsylvania.
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Elliot Madison, some of the coverage back in summer of the Iranian uprising following the elections. Everyone’s supporting Twitter, the State Department actually asking Twitter not to—not to do an update. And now you’re being arrested for using Twitter. We’re not seeing the same kind of coverage. Your thoughts?
ELLIOT MADISON: Yeah, I think it’s a clear case where, you know, the government authorities act like government authorities in Moldova and China and Iran, where they like it when people have access to information, be it radio stations, newspapers, free press, in other countries, but they’re uncomfortable with it in their own country. And in this case, they decided to try to criminalize it.
And I think what’s very interesting in all these stories about me is that the Tin Can Communications Collective was one Twitter feed. I have found that there were at least twenty-four Twitter feeds going on, everywhere from the police to the G-20 to Ron Paul supporters. Everybody had their own Twitter feeds going on. They decided to criminalize me, I think, because of the fact that we were in solidarity with the protesters.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
I read a bit about it this morning, but didn't have time to look into some other sources.
Yet, this can happen here? I'm guessing if all Hell breaks loose in America, our gov't will arrest all of us trying to communicate with the rest of the world, via all social networking??!!
So from this I gather anyone on a cellphone could be an indication you could be arrested for warning others protesters. What is this country coming too, where's Beck and hannity when you need them. Oh I forgot they have to find a connection to Obama, what will they EVER do IF this President ever gets elected again?
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Either way, couldn't it be argued that this guy was actually AIDING the police in getting out the word for dispersal?
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
Beck has covered This along with Government controll of the internet......
did he cry?
beck has no credibility on this forum. i think that has been established long ago. i am sure beck said this is a travesty because american freedoms are at risk. unless the people were protesting the G20 or have an anti war march, then this monitoring of twitter is necessary for national security.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
aww come on... if you didnt laugh at the absurdity youd cry.
... all enemies foreign and domestic... remember that.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say