Liberty

Education, Free Speech, Law, Lawsuits, Liberty

Suing to Speak 

COLUMBIA, SC A University of South Carolina student who is an activist Libertarian sued the college Tuesday on freedom of speech grounds because it threatened to discipline him for posters used last fall during a free speech event.

Ross Abbott, 21, a USC senior studying business management, filed the federal suit because a university official told Abbott he faced discipline, up to expulsion, over complaints from three students about posters that campus Libertarian organizations displayed at a Nov. 23 “free speech zone” event intended to showcase First Amendment freedoms, according to Catherine Sevcenko, director of litigation for Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

The posters included images of a swastika displayed at another campus and one that alluded to a suspension last year of a USC student over a photo showing a racial slur written in a campus study room. Shortly after the female student’s suspension, FIRE wrote to USC president Harris Pastides and asserted the suspension was improper and that what she wrote is protected speech.

Via USC sued by student over speech code @ The State.

Free Speech, Law, Liberty

California’s Intimidation of Donors

Campaign for Liberty has joined with 63 organizations in sending a letter to the California Attorney General’s office opposing a proposed regulation requiring non-profit organizations to disclose the names of their donors to the state.

This regulation is just the latest attempt by statists to use so-called “donor disclosure” laws to intimidate individuals  from becoming involved in the fight for liberty.

Campaign for Liberty will continue to oppose any demand that we hand over our supporters’ confidential information to any government agent.

Please support our efforts to defeat the IRS’s attempts to force us to divulge the names of our supporters.

 Here and below is the text of the letter to the California AG….

Via Campaign for Liberty to CA Attorney General: LEAVE OUR MEMBERS ALONE.

Constitution, Courts, Encryption, FBI, Law, Liberty, Privacy, State Power, Surveillance, Technology

What’s at Stake 

It’s not about 1 person. It’s not about 1 phone. It’s about the government being able to snoop on all people, on all phones, on all devices, on your TV, PC, even your HVAC and car. The government wants a skeleton key to unlock whatever it wants whenever it wants. This is dangerous in the extreme.

Via This Is the Real Reason Apple Is Fighting the FBI @ AgainstCronyCapitalism.org

Encryption, FBI, Federal Government, Liberty, Privacy, Surveillance, Technology

Are They Actually Hypocrites?

Apple CEO Tim Cook declared on Wednesday that his company wouldn’t comply with a government search warrant to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardinokillers, a significant escalation in a long-running debate between technology companies and the government over access to people’s electronically-stored private information.

But in a similar case in New York last year, Apple acknowledged that it could extract such data if it wanted to. And according to prosecutors in that case, Apple has unlocked phones for authorities at least 70 times since 2008. (Apple doesn’t dispute this figure.)

Via Apple Unlocked iPhones for the Feds 70 Times Before @ The Daily Beast

Encryption, FBI, Federal Government, Liberty, Privacy, State Planning, Surveillance, Technology

Incentive to Tyrants Abroad

“This move by the FBI could snowball around the world. Why in the world would our government want to give repressive regimes in Russia and China a blueprint for forcing American companies to create a backdoor?” Wyden told the Guardian.

“Companies should comply with warrants to the extent they are able to do so, but no company should be forced to deliberately weaken its products. In the long run, the real losers will be Americans’ online safety and security.”

Via Apple encryption case risks influencing Russia and China, privacy experts say @ The Guardian.

Encryption, Federal Government, Law, Liberty, Privacy, Surveillance, Technology

Apple Stands with Liberty

“February 16, 2016 A Message to Our Customers The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around…

Federal Government, Liberty, Privacy, Rights, State Power, Surveillance

Civil rights issue

On Tuesday, the United States District Court of California issued an order requiring Apple to assist the FBI in accessing a locked iPhone (PDF)—and not just any iPhone, but the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The order is very clear: Build new firmware to enable the FBI to perform an unlimited, high speed brute force attack, and place that firmware on the device.

Apple is not only fighting the request, but posted a public letter signed by Tim Cook and linked on Apple’s front page.

Via Why the FBI’s request to Apple will affect civil rights for a generation @ Macworld.

Libertarians, Liberty, Philosophy

Libertarianism & Public Reason

You can be a libertarian and a PRL since they’re theories that answer different questions. Libertarianism answers the question, “What institutional structures are good and just?” PRL answers the question, “How do we live on moral, peaceful terms with people who disagree with us about which institutions structures are good and just?”

Sometimes PRL and libertarianism conflict because libertarians often say they want to pursue establishing libertarianism without concern for non-libertarians who object. But in practice, libertarianism and PRL rarely conflict….

Via Libertarianism & Public Reason @ Bleeding Heart Libertarians.