How are we all? I know you can't answer that... except possibly in a comment
So, the big news at the moment is that Twitter has been ordered to release the details of every account registered to Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, Rop Gonggrijp and Birgitta Jonsdottir, including user names, screen names, mailing addresses, residential addresses and private messages. The US actually had the cheek to tell Twitter not to tell these people, but good old Twitter boldly took legal action and told them anyway.
Of course, this means that it is also likely that the US has sent similar things to Facebook, Google and other social networks, and it is also possible that these networks have just quietly handed over their precious user's contact details like good little bunnies. I guess it's a good thing that Twitter have announced it to their users. I'm not on Twitter myself (well, I am technically - I signed up as part of a pact I made with a mate to get them to join Facebook, but I've never logged in since I started.) In my opinion, Twitter and Facebook and all the others should just say no. What can the US do? They'll arrest them, maybe have them convicted - then what? Doing that won't suddenly make the user's information appear in the authorities' minds as if through a wormhole. If I ran Twitter, I think I'd wind them up when I received the subpoena by sending them back something that looked completely automated, like this:
Hi Bob (or Jim or Dave, or whatever their name is)
Glad to hear your enjoying Twitter. Have a great 2011, and don't forget to save time for tweeting!
Anyway, Birgitta (who I mentioned above) is a member of Icelandic parliament, former WikiLeaks volunteer and self-descibed activist, who is determined to challenge this in any way she can. She has written, 'Talked with the Icelandic minister of Justice - he is now looking into the case of demands of DoJ wanting my Twitter details. If anyone from Twitter legal is reading, I'd like to confirm that I am contesting any subpoenas - I do not consent. My lawyer will call.' In fighting it, in my opinion, she is being a total legend, and for that reason, you can officially consider her part of my 'inspiration' list.
In other news, the Stephenson Five (who I commended in my last post) have finally left their University building with their heads held high, just days before they were forced out. I guess this is a good thing - they didn't get everything they wanted, but they felt they had done all they could and plan to reconvene once it opens again. There are a few people in the press who are challenging them - I got into an argument with this bloke called James Lyle Findon on their Facebook page, who was going on about how stupid these people are and how the protests have gone much too far, and how he supports what the Government are doing anyway, and he sounded like such an arse. Overlooking the question of what he's doing in that group in the first place if he doesn't agree with it, he was also being really horrible to someone else in the group who was dismissed from the University for his opinions, believe it or not. Eventually I told him straight exactly how I felt, I said that I'd told him everything I could and then I said I wasn't prepared to debate it any further!
Well, that's it from the George-monster for this update. Please check back regularly to find out what else I have in store...
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