CHEVRON GRANTED ACCESS TO ACTIVISTS' PRIVATE INTERNET DATA [View all]

[kpete]

CHEVRON GRANTED ACCESS TO ACTIVISTS' PRIVATE INTERNET DATA

Published on Thursday, July 11, 2013 by Common Dreams
In 'Chilling' Ruling, Chevron Granted Access to Activists' Private Internet Data
"Sweeping" subpoena violates rights of those who spoke out against oil giant's devastating actions in Ecuador

- Lauren McCauley, staff writer



A federal judge has ruled to allow Chevron, through a subpoena to Microsoft, to collect the IP usage records and identity information for email accounts owned by over 100 environmental activists, journalists and attorneys.

The oil giant is demanding the records in an attempt to cull together a lawsuit which alleges that the company was the victim of a conspiracy in the $18.2 billion judgment against it for dumping 18.5 billion gallons of oil waste in the Ecuadorean Amazon, causing untold damage to the rainforest.

The "sweeping" subpoena was one of three issued to Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft.

"Environmental advocates have the right to speak anonymously and travel without their every move and association being exposed to Chevron," said Marcia Hofmann, Senior Staff Attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who—along with environmental rights group EarthRights International (ERI)—had filed a motion last fall to "quash" the subpoenas.



MORE:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/11-3
http://dg5vd3ocj3r4t.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/documents/Kaplan-Order-Hotmail-IP-subpoena_0.pdf