An internet company is fighting what it says is a \u201csweeping\u201d request for information about an anti-Trump website that prosecutors allege was behind destructive Inauguration Day protests. The company says the government is seeking information about 1.3 million visitors to the site, among other information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 200 people were charged after protesters broke windows and set fire to a limousine on President Donald Trump\u2019s Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. Prosecutors say the website disruptj20.org was used in the \u201cdevelopment, planning, advertisement, and organization of a violent riot,\u201d and they obtained a search warrant in July ordering the company that hosted the website, DreamHost, to turn over information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But California-based DreamHost says the warrant violates the Constitution and a federal privacy law. The company said in a blog post Monday that it\u2019s being asked to turn over IP addresses of those who visited the site plus \u201ccontact information, email content and photos of thousands of people.\u201d The company said that \u201cinformation could be used to identify any individuals who used this site to exercise and express political speech protected under the Constitution\u2019s First Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat should be enough to set alarm bells off in anyone\u2019s mind,\u201d the post says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark Rumold, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group supporting Dreamhost.com, says such sweeping seizures are usually reserved for investigations of websites devoted to criminal activity like child pornography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHere, the concerns are exacerbated because we\u2019re dealing with core, protected First Amendment activities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Columbia, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment beyond what had been filed in court. A court filing by prosecutors says the search warrant was \u201cproperly issued.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Friday hearing in Superior Court in Washington is scheduled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technology Writer Ryan Nakashima in San Francisco contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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