Re:EFF Statement on Assange Indictment and Arrest
by AnthonyMouse on Thursday April 11, 2019 @02:51PM
(#19637916)
The trouble in this case is that the behavior being prosecuted is not the sort of thing that would result in prosecution under many other circumstances. There is a law against it, but enforcing it in this context gives the impression of selective prosecution.
They haven't discovered a crime, investigated it to determine who was behind it and arrested them; they've discovered a man they wish to charge and went around looking for something to charge him with.
Re:EFF Statement on Assange Indictment and Arrest
by ensignavenger on Thursday April 11, 2019 @05:10PM
(#19639251)
Or maybe they discovered that some one had leaked classified information (a crime) and during the investigation of that crime, discovered that Assange had conspired with that individual (also a crime)? That explanation makes sense to me. Maybe it isn't what happened, we will have to let the courts decide on the facts of the case.
So if a reporter goes to a Congressman's house, tries to pick the lock, and fails, and later manages to get the same documents based on a leak from the Congressman's office, should the reporter be free from liability for the attempted break-in?
The law correctly gives reporters a lot of leeway, so long as they stay on the right side of the line. To give reporters so much freedom, society must be able to clearly distinguish protected reporting activity from unprotected criminal activity. For that reason it is incumbent on people claiming the shield of press freedom to avoid conduct that crosses the line, and for organizations like EFF to avoid trying to blur that line.