Popcorn? Really? On Feb 18, 2014 8:26 PM, "Shava Nerad" <shav...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 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. >> > > -- > 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. >
-- 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.
