USA Today resists FBI subpoena seeking data of those who read story about agents' killing

[Zorro]

Source: Washington Post

The FBI earlier this year tried to obtain records associated with people who accessed an article on USA Today’s website about the killing of two FBI agents as they tried to search a Florida apartment — sparking a legal fight and once again fueling concerns that federal law enforcement is not following its own guidelines when seeking news outlets’ data.

The bureau’s request to Gannett, which owns USA Today, came in late April but spilled into public view only recently after the company resisted it in court.

FBI agents sent the company a subpoena asking for records, including IP addresses and mobile identification information, of those who accessed a Feb. 2 article about the shooting during a 35-minute window that same day.

The subpoena said the demand related to a criminal investigation and asked USA Today not to disclose its existence “indefinitely.” It was unclear, though, precisely what the FBI was investigating or how electronic records pointing to those who accessed the story might advance that inquiry. The subpoena, which did not seem to seek readers’ names, was previously reported by Politico.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/usa-today-fbi-subpoena/2021/06/04/4741213a-c550-11eb-8c18-fd53a628b992_story.html

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Seems like a pretty fucking audacious subpoena request to me.

[Deminpenn]

1. Maybe the theory of the subpoena is that whoever

killed the agents wanted to read about the deed in the media. That does happen, but to try and get the names of everyone who read a story is like looking for a very small needle in a very big haystack.

[Randomthought]

2. 35 minute window from publication

So not so big a number

[ck4829]

3. I thought it was Huber himself who did the killings

Last edited Tue Jun 29, 2021, 11:06 AM - Edit history (1)

The agents were shot from the house, there is no way someone snuck out of the house while it was under a raid, especially after 5 agents were shot.

Critical Race Theory

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Because of that, I wonder if they think they can trace the child porn provider this way

It still seems a stretch to me - reading the story doesn't seem like evidence you could use in a courtroom t, and neither does it seem particularly useful in narrowing down suspects.

[IronLionZion]

4. Did AG Garland or any judges sign off on it?

This sounds like overreach unless there was a warrant or something like that we don't know about. It sounds sketchy

[twodogsbarking]

6. Who has been accessing DU?

Are they watching? You betcha.

[Jopin Klobe]

7. Once the foot is in the door ...

... complete entry will be expected ...

... quietly ...

... and soon ...

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. slippery slope indeed. n/t