The following article by Ann E. Marimow was posted on the Washington Post website July 15, 2017:
Major technology companies and civil liberties groups have joined Facebook in a closed courtroom battle over secret government access to social media records.
Facebook is fighting a court order that prohibits it from letting users know when law enforcement investigators ask to search their political communications — a ban that Facebook contends tramples First Amendment protections of the company and individuals.
Most of the details of the case in the nation’s capital are under wraps, but the timing of the investigation, and references in public court documents, suggest the search warrants relate to demonstrations during President Trump’s inauguration. More than 200 people were detained and many have been charged with felony rioting in the Jan. 20 protests that injured police and damaged property in an area of downtown Washington. Continue reading “Facebook says it shouldn’t have to stay mum when government seeks user data”