AT&T civil lawsuit and States Secrets Privilege

[indie_voter]

There is real possibility the government will invoke this to stop EFF.

From an older article on this privilege:

"It's the most powerful privilege the government has," says William Weaver, senior adviser to the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. "It's the nuclear option. It never fails."

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68894,00.html


The EFF attorney expects them to try to invoke it:

Bankston estimates that millions of people nationwide would be eligible to join the class action, pushing the possible total fines into the billions. However, he expects the administration will try to kill the lawsuit by invoking the rarely used state secrets privilege.

"If state secrecy can prevent us from preserving the rights of millions upon millions of people, then there is a profound problem with the law," says Bankston.

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70126-0.html

[Scout1071]

1. This may be silly, but what is "EFF"?

[GregD]

2. Electronic Freedom Foundation

www.eff.org

[evlbstrd]

3. Electronic Frontier Foundation.

http://www.eff.org/

They defend the freedom of the internet, among other things.

[indie_voter]

4. Electronic Frontier Foundation

http://www.eff.org/

They are filing a class action suit against AT&T.

[indie_voter]

5. ROFL!! Is there an echo in here? ;^)

[crikkett]

6. k&r: what can we do about this?

LTTE or write congresscritters?