Washington — A web hosting provider is facing an overly broad Department of Justice search warrant, demanding that it turn over information on more than a million visitors to an anti-Trump protest website.
In a blog post Monday, Dreamhost explained why it has sought to narrow DOJ’s demand for access to 1.3 million IP addresses and other information so the government can find out who visited the disruptj20.org website the company hosts.
For more than 25 years, the Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated to ensure that government requests for access to data comply with the Constitution. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“CCIA supports Dreamhost and calls on DOJ to revise this request, and reassess its search warrant practices to respect the First and Fourth Amendments.
“US tech companies are often compelled to resist sweeping dragnets aimed at political dissent from foreign regimes. The US government itself has criticized countries that target political dissent with criminal process. We would urge DOJ to consider the consequences of such requests both in terms of emboldening countries like China and in the message this sends to democratic allies.”