i2Coalition Releases Statement on DreamHost Warrant

The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2Coalition) has released a statement supporting Dreamhost in its efforts to seek clarification of a broad warrant it received in July.

“This warrant is one example of a significant, and disturbing, trend, of sweeping government requests to Internet Infrastructure providers for all manner of data related to their services.  The Constitution requires that warrants be narrowly tailored and limited in their scope.  The warrant broadly identifies a website address, and then requests ‘all records or other information pertaining to that (address).’  The term ‘all records” includes information that would identify visitors to the website regardless of the nature of their visit.  It would also include email processed by Dreamhost related to the website, again regardless of the nature of the email, or relation to the violence that is the subject of the investigation.”

“Aside from the business impact that this warrant will have on DreamHost, broad, poorly crafted warrants have significant free speech implications. These warrants also drive business from U.S. companies by reinforcing the perception that the U.S. government does not consider the privacy implications of its actions. We strongly support DreamHost in its efforts to narrow the scope of this warrant.”  – i2Coalition Co-Founder, Policy and Board Chair David Snead

DreamHost Response

We Fight for the Users – DreamHost.blog

For the past several months, DreamHost has been working with the Department of Justice to comply with legal process, including a Search Warrant (PDF) seeking information about one of our customers’ websites. At the center of the requests is disruptj20.org, a website that organized participants of political protests against the current United States administration.

More Information

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