

Yahoo CEO Mayer: we faced jail if we revealed NSA surveillance secrets - alxhill
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/11/yahoo-ceo-mayer-jail-nsa-surveillance

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devx
> "Releasing classified information is treason and you are incarcerated," she
> said.

Remember when some were saying how whistleblowers should just "go through the
official channels". Yeah, what channels, when as soon as you try to say
anything you're put in prison?

It used to be hard to believe that the government would _ever_ try something
as foolish as undermining/attacking the 1st amendment, and if anything, it
would be the last one to fall (this is _America_ , after all!) Yet, this sort
of stuff has been going for _years_ with _hundreds of thousands_ of NSL's
being given to Americans.

If NSL's are so important for an investigation, and there's really a danger of
ruining a very important investigation, then it should be _specifically_
approved by a judge - on a different document, and not as part of a footnote
from another warrant.

But even then, the person under the gag order should automatically be released
from it 12 months later. If the FBI wants to extend that period, then they
should be asking the judge for an extension. Anything less than this seems
very unconstitutional to me.

That being said, I still think there's a whole lot more these companies
could've done. If these multi-billion and global corporations can't speak up,
how can a single individual? I think they failed the country and the American
society (at the very least) by not speaking up early on.

~~~
a3n
They didn't need to be prodded by Snowden. They could have said "we're suing
the government, but we can't tell you why. No more comment."

They're doing this because they were exposed. Without Snowden, none of this
would be happening, they'd hide behind "treason" and keep making money.

