Facebook Opposes Gag Order over Search Warrants

Facebook is opposing a gag order placed on it by the US government relating to the public discussion of search warrants seeking their communications and data.

Business Insider reports that social media company Facebook is opposing a gag order placed on the company by the US government relating to search warrants requesting Facebook communications and data. In a statement released on Monday, the social media company stated, “We believe there are important First Amendment concerns with this case, including the government’s refusal to let us notify three people of broad requests for their account information in connection with public events.” William Miller, a spokesman for U.S. prosecutors, declined to comment on the situation.

Court documents state that Facebook opposed the gag order relating to the three warrants in an effort to protect free speech and because the events relating to the government’s investigation was already public knowledge. The details of the government’s current investigation are not known, but one document in the case states that the timing of proceedings seems to line up with charges brought against people that protested President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. More than 200 people were arrested during incidents on that day.

Court documents state that a judge in Washington refused Facebook’s request to remove the gag order in that state in April. Facebook has appealed this decision. Andrew Crocker, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates for digital rights, commented on the case saying, “The government can only insulate its actions from public scrutiny in this way in the rarest circumstances, which likely do not apply here.” Facebook is being supported in their efforts by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union. Eight larger tech companies such as Microsoft and Apple Inc. have also stated their support for the social media company.

The case is scheduled to be heard in The District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court of appeals for local matters in Washington, in September according to a court order obtained by BuzzFeed News.