back to article Tomorrow, DreamHost will square up to US DoJ to avoid handing over 1.3m IP addresses of anti-Trump site visitors

Efforts by US prosecutors to identify up to 1.3 million people who accessed an anti-Trump protest website is unconstitutional, a court will hear on Friday. Lawyers for DreamHost, which hosts disruptj20.org, will argue at 9.30am in a Washington DC courtroom that the demand for visitor records from the website breaks both the …

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  2. Florida1920
    Big Brother

    Trump brings out the best in people

    Had the protesters known on 20 January what they know now, there might have been a lot more damage than broken windows and a burned car. Note to government leaders: If you want citizens to stop treating you like assholes, stop being assholes.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Trump brings out the best in people

      That's not really a cool thing to say.

      No matter what Trump says, he will be attacked. Seriously.

      If the Republicans acted this poorly to Obama, he would have played the race card.

      The Dems have done everything to harm Trump.

      Inside his Administration he has the 'deep state' misbehaving.

      Yet he's done a lot considering the problems.

      Granted Trump is like a dull tool that kinda gets the job done, but were he a bit more polished... wow.

      I'm not a fan of Trump, but he is the POTUS.

      And I hate to kick a man when he's down.

      1. Florida1920

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        If the Republicans acted this poorly to Obama, he would have played the race card.

        FFS, they did everything in their power to inhibit Obama! McConnell declared that on the first day of Obama's first term. Turn off FNC and learn some truth. Trump himself continued to play the birther card all through. Now Trump plays the victim card. Oh, poor Donny. Born rich and so entitled. Why are people so mean and disloyal to him? Maybe because he's an asshole, getting just what he deserves.

      2. Winkypop Silver badge

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        "The Dems have done everything to harm Trump."

        I think old Donny is the best at doing this.

        Libs are too busy scoffing popcorn.

      3. jake Silver badge

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        "The Dems have done everything to harm Trump."

        I'm fairly certain that Trump has done far more to harm Trump than all the registered Dem voters in the entire United States put together.

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

          Re: Trump brings out the best in people

          "Trump has done far more to harm Trump"

          Probably true - He's just brought up one his favorite anecdotes about muslims, pigs & executing prisoners again.

      4. Dave 126 Silver badge

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        > he is the POTUS. And I hate to kick a man when he's down.

        He's down?! With his gold plated tower, spare house on Pennsylvania Avenue, children in good health, attractive wife, as much golfing time as he wants, and millions of dollars?

        I thought 'down' is when you're struggling to make rent payments and your dog dies.

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge
          Coat

          Re: Trump brings out the best in people

          "I thought 'down' is when you're struggling to make rent payments and your dog dies."

          No thats "The Blues"

          1. Bernard M. Orwell

            Re: Trump brings out the best in people

            "No thats "The Blues"'

            No, you need to have your nuts nailed to a tree first, then hang there for a few days. Then you *nearly* got the blues. ~ Willie Nelson.

          2. Alistair
            Pint

            Re: Trump brings out the best in people

            "I thought 'down' is when you're struggling to make rent payments and your dog dies."

            No thats "The Blues"

            "Bring me four fried chickens and a coke" "And an order of dry white toast"

            Thats the Blue Brothers.

            And at this stage of the trumpistan, I'd rather them running the country.

            1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

              Re: Trump brings out the best in people

              "Thats the Blue Brothers.

              And at this stage of the trumpistan, I'd rather them running the country."

              At least they gave the neo-nazis a good runaround :-)

      5. scarletherring

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        > No matter what Trump says, he will be attacked. Seriously.

        I seem to remember the same thing happening with conservatives v Obama.

        Pretty sure it was actually a lot more out of proportion back then, given that the current POTUS is pandering to actual fucking nazis -- as opposed to, say, trying to provide basic healthcare for all citizens like literally every properly developed nation.

        > If the Republicans acted this poorly to Obama, he would have played the race card.

        They did. And he didn't.

        > Granted Trump is like a dull tool that kinda gets the job done

        What has he done, precisely? As far as I can tell, this administration has passed very little in the way of new legislation. Or, famously, even much repeal of previous legislation.

        The only reason that there's any good news still in the economic stats is they're so unbelievably incompetent that they haven't been able to actually undo much of the progress made under Obama (who inherited the economic meltdown overseen by Bush Jr, although to be fair the reasons for it go back through Clinton, Bush Sr and Reagan.)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Trump brings out the best in people

          An honest assessment would have included Carter. The American economy was a disaster after his 4 year term. From the GDP numbers it looks like Reagan improved it, Bush Sr and Clinton stayed the course, and Bush Jr ended up ruining it.

      6. Hollerithevo

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        "Yet he's done a lot considering the problems."

        What has he done?

        People's mortgages shot up. Their health care was threatened. They were deported or barred from re-entry because they were easy pickings, despite paying taxes ('no taxation without representation' no longer a rallying cry), he approved a big bomb and then an airport bombed, both of which changed nothing, he has pulled funding for rural roads, bridges, railways, the arts, etc, and he has left unfilled so many positions that some departments (and embassies) are at a stand-still. He has de-stabilised Asia Pacific. Oh, yes, he got China to accept coal shipment from the USA rather than North Korea.

        So coal-mining companies must be happy. Ordinary folks? Not so much.

      7. Tom 38
        WTF?

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        If the Republicans acted this poorly to Obama, he would have played the race card.

        IF? fucking IF? More to the point he never did, despite 10 years of racist rantings from the people currently in power. Sad and delusional; how can America claim to be the world's moral authority when it is run by amoral buffoons who sympathize with neo-nazis?

      8. rh587

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        The Dems have done everything to harm Trump.

        Trump has done everything to harm Trump.

        I don't even need to touch on his politics.

        1. Trump fired the Director of the FBI via CNN. Didn't have the grace or courtest to phone him and tell him personally (which seems odd considering how much he enjoyed saying "You're Fired" on TV).

        2. Trump turned a Boy Scout Jamboree into a Political Rally

        3. Can you spell Nepotism?

        4. @realDonaldTrump. Nuff said.

        5. He can't bring himself to say that neo-nazism or white supremacy is bad.

        1. and 2. indicate what we already knew - he isn't a pleasant human being. Whether or not you agree with his politics, he's just a nasty person. He doesn't value people - even his supporters. He has managed to piss off the Republican Party so badly that he couldn't repeal Obamacare - something the Reps have been campaigning for since it was passed. How badly do you have to alienate your own (majority, House-controlling) party to not be capable of passing a bill which they've been clamouring for!?!

        Trump has no sense of propriety or general courtesy - much less Diplomacy or Political nous. He's got where he has by throwing Fred's money at problems and buying his way in. That doesn't work on the global political stage, as he's rapidly finding out.

      9. Andy Tunnah

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        >I'm not a fan of Trump, but he is the POTUS.

        For some reason I'm having trouble believing that

      10. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Thumb Up

        Re: Trump brings out the best in people

        "Granted Trump is like a dull tool "

        Brilliant! That works on so many different levels :-)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ask yourself, If this was a website used to coordinate the fascists in Charlottesville would you still have the same opinion?

    I'm not taking any sides on this one because to do so would be hypocritical, which is something I am uncomfortable with.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      I'm not sure what equivalence you're trying to draw here.

      And you are in no danger of being hypocritical if the idea of the government collecting names of its detractors in such a broad way.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        The equivalence is this,

        I'm against the government getting these IP addresses for obvious reasons. It's wrong.

        However if this was the fascists I'm not sure I would be against it.

        That's the hypocritical part and people can downvote my original post all they want, I make a perfectly valid point.

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Thanks for expanding on your point. Sorry if I misunderstood - the phrase 'all sides' has become a bit loaded of late!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          > However if this was the fascists I'm not sure I would be against it.

          ..and thats where you don't understand the principles behind these laws. As abhorrent as these nazi dickwads are, they have a right under your constitution to say their dumbfuck shit without the government trying to stop them. HOWEVER the first amendment is ONLY about the government stopping them spouting their bullshit - its your right also under the first amendment to protest against them and show them up to be the wankers they are.

          The Government should NOT be trying to suppress free speech full stop.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            ok, I get that but here's the rub of the green so to speak and the point I am making.

            Some crimes have been committed and to catch the people that have done it the government is asking for the IP address's of all the people that used a website to coordinate the people committing the crimes so they can identify them from CCTV.

            Take out of the equation Trump, the number involved and the fact it is an anti-government protest and what do you have left? Would you still agree it is wrong? What if it was a group of people that coordinated robbing banks?

            I think they'll get the IP addresses because of the point I have made as the judiciary are going to rule on the facts. The only reason they may not get them is due to the numbers involved as it's too general a search.

            To be clear I do not agree with them getting the IP addresses, it is wrong and sets a dangerous precedent, so I hope they don't.

            1. Alistair
              Windows

              " I think they'll get the IP addresses because of the point I have made as the judiciary are going to rule on the facts. The only reason they may not get them is due to the numbers involved as it's too general a search."

              I'm not so sure that they will, no matter which direction the website leans. The courts have been clearly demonstrating that they have no tolerance for the abrupt jump to mass prosecutions that the administration has been shooting for. -> the "Not a Muslim Ban Travel Bans" are a fairly clear representation of this.

              I suspect that Bannon and Trump missed out on the actual functional controls in the American Government's structures.

              1. Orv Silver badge

                I'm not so sure that they will, no matter which direction the website leans.

                I agree. I don't think they've had time to pack the courts with allies quite that thoroughly yet.

    2. Martin M

      Yes, if it also involved sweeping up the details of millions of innocent people who happen to oppose a government with capricious and authoritarian tendencies. It is up to the DoJ to frame their request in a suitably proportionate fashion.

      I fail to see, for example, why this request cannot be for the IP addresses of the authors or viewers of specific posts or threads.

    3. Orv Silver badge

      A fishing expedition is a fishing expedition, no matter who the target is. I think the fascists who resorted to violence in Charlottesville should be prosecuted. I also think people who smashed windows at the inauguration should be prosecuted, although that's not nearly as serious a charge as murder. But should EVERYONE who happened to view a website those people used also be dragged into the case as well? God, no.

  4. Dave 126 Silver badge

    > If the Republicans acted this poorly to Obama, he would have played the race card.

    And who was it who kept claiming that Obama wasn't born in the USA? It was Donald Trump. Despite a birth certificate, despite notices in newspapers at the time. Trump has done nothing but devalue truth, and thus Americans' trust in each other. Putin has been using the same methods in Russia for years.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Land of the free, my arse.

    *stands proudly to attention and salutes flag*

    What an ironic joke, 45 has defiled the flag, the constitution and the office.

    Nice one 'murrica.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fig Leaf

    So....the NSA DOESN'T ALREADY have the relevant transaction information??????

    *

    Who believes that?????

    *

    Good for DreamHost management to fight the good fight....but irrelevant really.

    1. Orv Silver badge

      Re: Fig Leaf

      The NSA might have it, but their info won't hold up in court unless they also reveal their methods, which they don't want to do. This may be taking a page from the NSA's interactions with the DEA, where the NSA gave them tips, but the DEA then had to work backwards and construct a case around those tips that didn't involve the NSA.

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