Why, the parrallels to these cases, once established as precedent, could be provocative.
(Grabs popcorn.) SN On Feb 18, 2014 3:09 PM, "Mustafa Al-Bassam" <m...@musalbas.com> wrote: > This is great. Would also like to add that yesterday a criminal > complaint was filed in the UK for a similar situation: > > https://www.privacyinternational.org/press-releases/privacy-international-seeking-investigation-into-computer-spying-on-refugee-in-uk > > Mustafa > > On 18/02/14 18:16, Nate Cardozo wrote: > > Hi LibTech, > > > > Today, we sued the Ethiopian Government for its use of the malware > > described in last year's Citizen Lab report. Thanks to Citizen Lab for > > their amazing work. Details below. > > > > Best, > > Nate > > > > -- > > Nate Cardozo > > Staff Attorney > > Electronic Frontier Foundation > > 815 Eddy Street > > San Francisco, CA 94109 > > n...@eff.org | 415.436.9333 x146 > > > > Help EFF defend our rights in the digital world > > https://www.eff.org/donate > > > > > > > https://www.eff.org/press/releases/american-sues-ethiopian-government-spyware-infection > > > > February 18, 2014 > > > > > > American Sues Ethiopian Government for Spyware Infection > > > > Months of Electronic Espionage Put American Citizen and Family at Risk > > > > Washington, D.C. - An American citizen living in Maryland sued the > > Ethiopian government today for infecting his computer with secret > > spyware, wiretapping his private Skype calls, and monitoring his entire > > family's every use of the computer for a period of months. The > > Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is representing the plaintiff in > > this case, who has asked the court to allow him to use the pseudonym Mr. > > Kidane - which he uses within the Ethiopian community - in order to > > protect the safety and wellbeing of his family both in the United States > > and in Ethiopia. > > > > "We have clear evidence of a foreign government secretly infiltrating an > > American's computer in America, listening to his calls, and obtaining > > access to a wide swath of his private life," said EFF Staff Attorney > > Nate Cardozo. "The current Ethiopian government has a well-documented > > history of human rights violations against anyone it sees as political > > opponents. Here, it wiretapped a United States citizen on United States > > soil in an apparent attempt to obtain information about members of the > > Ethiopian diaspora who have been critical of their former government. > > U.S. laws protect Americans from this type of unauthorized electronic > > spying, regardless of who is responsible." > > > > A forensic examination of Mr. Kidane's computer showed that the device > > had been infected when he opened a Microsoft Word document that > > contained hidden malware. The document had been an attachment to an > > email message sent by agents of the Ethiopian government and forwarded > > to Mr. Kidane. The spyware contained in the attachment was a program > > called FinSpy, a suite of surveillance software marketed exclusively to > > governments by the Gamma Group of Companies. In the several months > > FinSpy was on Mr. Kidane's computer, it recorded a vast array of > > activities conducted by users of the machine. Traces of the spyware > > inadvertently left on his computer show that information - including > > recordings of dozens of Skype phone calls - was surreptitiously sent to > > a secret control server located in Ethiopia and controlled by the > > Ethiopian government. > > > > The infection appears to be part of a systematic program by the > > Ethiopian government to spy on perceived political opponents in the > > Ethiopian diaspora around the world. Reports from human rights agencies > > and news outlets have detailed Ethiopia's campaign of international > > espionage, aimed at jailing opposition and undermining dissent. But > > Ethiopia is not alone. CitizenLab - a group of researchers based at the > > University of Toronto, Canada - has found evidence that governments > > around the world use FinSpy and other technologies to spy on human > > rights and democracy advocates across the globe. > > > > "The problem of governments violating the privacy of their political > > opponents through digital surveillance is not isolated - it's already > > big and growing bigger," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn. "Yet > > despite the international intrigue and genuine danger involved in this > > lawsuit, at bottom it's a straightforward case. An American citizen was > > wiretapped at his home in Maryland, and he's asking for his day in court > > under longstanding American laws." > > > > In the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., > > today, Mr. Kidane asks for a jury trial as well as damages for > > violations of the U.S. Wiretap Act and state privacy law. The Ethiopian > > Embassy in Washington received a courtesy copy of the lawsuit, and the > > District Court will formally serve the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry in > > Addis Ababa with copies of the papers in both English and Amharic. > > > > Richard M. Martinez, Mahesha P. Subbaraman, and Samuel L. Walling of > > Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. are assisting EFF as co-counsel > > on this case. > > > > For the full complaint in Kidane v. Ethiopia: > > https://www.eff.org/document/complaint-32 > > > > For more on this case: > > https://www.eff.org/cases/kidane-v-ethiopia > > > > Contacts: > > > > Nate Cardozo > > Staff Attorney > > Electronic Frontier Foundation > > n...@eff.org > > > > Cindy Cohn > > Legal Director > > Electronic Frontier Foundation > > ci...@eff.org > > > > > > > > > -- > Liberationtech is public & archives are searchable on Google. Violations > of list guidelines will get you moderated: > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech. > Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password by emailing moderator at > compa...@stanford.edu. >
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