Trump shocks with move against free expression online
The justice department is trying to compel DreamHost to hand over information about everyone who visited a web site that helped organize Trump inauguration protests
One of the great things about America is that if you don’t like the government, you have the right to speak out against it. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, ordinary citizens have been voicing dissent on the internet and in the streets. Now, an extraordinary request from the Department of Justice (DOJ) could make people increasingly afraid to exercise that right. The DOJ is trying to compel an internet hosting company, DreamHost, to hand over information about everyone who visited disruptj20.org, a DreamHost customer web site that helped organize Trump inauguration protests. DreamHost is fighting back, arguing that complying with the request would require handing over 1.3 million IP addresses, as well as contact information, content of emails, and photographs of thousands of people. While the Trump inauguration protests were largely peaceful, some protestors were violent and destructive. But the DOJ request is not limited to rioters. It could also affect people w...
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