The
FBI has withdrawn a secret demand that the
Internet Archive provide details of a registered user's personal information. This is
reportedly only the third time an organization has succeeded in challenging a National Security Letter (NSL). The enormity of this success: the
NYT reports that the "FBI issued nearly 200,000 NSLs between 2003 and 2006."
With a
national security letter, the FBI can "require businesses such as libraries, internet service providers, banks, hospitals or telephone companies to provide customer records on request -- no court order (warrant) required." Courtesy of the
US Patriot Act.
At least one judge has ruled that NSLs are unconstitutional due to the gag order; the ruling is
under appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
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