New York’s top court rejects Facebook search warrant challenge: HumSub.TV
New York’s top court rejects Facebook search warrant challenge: HumSub.TV: New York state’s highest court on Tuesday rejected Facebook Inc’s challenge to 381 search warrants to uncover suspected widespread Social Security disability fraud by its customers.
By a 5-1 vote, the Court of Appeals said it lacked jurisdiction to hear Facebook’s appeal over warrants obtained by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
The decision is a defeat and a blow for Internet privacy advocates such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, as well as technology and social media companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Twitter that supported Facebook’s appeal.
Prosecutors had in July 2013 obtained the warrants ordering Facebook to turn over account information belonging to people suspected of criminal fraud.
Among the targets were retired police officers and firefighters suspected of feigning illness after the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
Facebook argued that the warrants were overbroad, and that Vance went too far by prohibiting the Menlo Park, California-based company from telling users that the warrants existed.
It complied with the warrants after prosecutors threatened to hold it in criminal contempt, but continued the appeal.
Writing for the appeals court, Judge Leslie Stein said it was up to targets of the warrants, not third parties such as Facebook, to challenge the warrants’ validity.
While Facebook’s concern about overbroad warrants, and its effect on users’ privacy rights including under the US Constitution, “may not be baseless,” it was up to the state legislature to change the law, Stein wrote.
Tuesday’s decision upheld a July 2015 ruling by an state appeals court in Manhattan. One judge recused himself.
Judge Rowan Wilson dissented, saying the decision deprived Facebook of “any meaningful recourse” against the “en masse” data seizure, including from high school students who had the misfortune of knowing people suspected of disability fraud.
“Although seizing social media content to help curtain widespread disabilities fraud may seem to some a good bargain,” Wilson wrote, “the concern of this case … is not with crime waves, but with the protection of the individual against the power of the government.”
Facebook said it was disappointed by the decision and evaluating its legal options, but “encouraged to see the thorough dissent that supports Facebook’s position arguing for people’s online privacy.”
New York’s top court rejects Facebook search warrant challenge: HumSub.TV
About HumSub TV
Introduction
HumSub TV is Pakistan’s leading forwarding-thinking, edutainment channel, aimed at promoting and upholding peace, interfaith harmony and social responsibility within Pakistan through informative and insightful programmes and documentaries; analytical interviews on issues pertaining to social, economic, legal and environmental set-up; dedicated shows to canvass and thereby promote the culture and heritage of Pakistan and in-depth coverage of national and international news.
HumSub TV is the first channel and thus a pioneer within its own right that mainly focuses on emphasising the “Rights” as well as the “Obligations” of the citizens in light of the Constitution of Pakistan, numerous International declarations signed by the Government and various laws that have been promulgated over the years but are not in the knowledge of the common citizen.
HumSub TV also aims to enter into bilateral agreements with other countries to promote not only their culture, heritage and tourism, but also their educational and medical facilities.
Following the successful launch of HumSub TV’s head office in Blue Area, Islamabad; the bureau office has been set up in Lahore.
Vision
To project positive image building of Pakistan and inculcate nationalism, as per the vision of the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Mission
HumSub TV is resolute about the promotion of a pluralistic, inclusive and egalitarian society in Pakistan where all citizens are allowed to contribute to promote interfaith harmony, peace and collective wisdom in the social, political and economic development of Pakistan and to encourage critical and lateral thinking in the society. HumSub TV strives to make a positive contribution to this end.
HumSub TV’s Theme
HumSub TV, Pakistan’s first EDUTAINMENT Channel, has been set up for not only those audience residing in Pakistan or overseas but the international community on the whole. The vision of the channel is to project positive image building of Pakistan and inculcate nationalism as per the vision of the founder of the nation.
HumSub TV strives to make a positive contribution to this end by promoting pluralism, inclusiveness and egality in Pakistan and give voice to the suppressed. It endeavors to act as a positive catalyst for social change and Pakistani nationalism. It envisions providing a platform for airing critical and lateral thinking and collective wisdom by inviting positive minded intellectuals and opinion forming individuals for the promotion of interfaith harmony and peace in the social, political and economic development of Pakistan.
Whereas the channel airs upbeat edutainment programmes, it, nonetheless, has the primary objective of countering negative anti-Pakistan regional and international propaganda as well as advancing fundamental rights as encapsulated in the Constitution of Pakistan.
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