Those Tweets may not be as private as you think

Those who are avid users of Facebook or Tweet, will be surprised to learn that those exchanges with friends and family may not be private at all. Witness what is happening via the American Department of Justice seeking Twitter records from those it suspects have been somehow associated with WikiLeaks.

"Last night, Birgitta Jónsdóttir -- a former WikiLeaks volunteer and current member of the Icelandic Parliament -- announced (on Twitter) that she had been notified by Twitter that the DOJ had served a Subpoena demanding information "about all my tweets and more since November 1st 2009." Several news outlets, including The Guardian, wrote about Jónsdóttir's announcement.

What hasn't been reported is that the Subpoena served on Twitter -- which is actually an Order from a federal court that the DOJ requested -- seeks the same information for numerous other individuals currently or formerly associated with WikiLeaks, including Jacob Appelbaum, Rop Gonggrijp, and Julian Assange. It also seeks the same information for Bradley Manning and for WikiLeaks' Twitter account."

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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