assange

Appeal filed in WikiLeaks probe of Twitter accounts

Attorneys representing WikiLeaks volunteers today asked a Virginia judge to overturn an earlier ruling and bar the U.S. Department of Justice from gaining access to their clients' Twitter accounts.

The appeal, which was expected, seeks to throw out a magistrate judge's ruling on March 11 that granted prosecutors access to the accounts, including information about what Internet and e-mail addresses are associated with them. The government sought the court order as part of a grand jury probe that appears to be investigating whether WikiLeaks principals, including editor Julian Assange, violated U.S. criminal laws.

In a 41-page brief (… Read more

DOJ wins access to WikiLeaks-related Twitter accounts

A federal judge in Virginia today granted federal prosecutors access to WikiLeaks-related Twitter accounts, including information about what Internet and e-mail addresses are associated with them.

The 20-page ruling represents a clear victory for the U.S. Department of Justice, which sought the court order as part of a grand jury probe that appears to be investigating whether WikiLeaks principals, including editor Julian Assange, violated American criminal laws.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan rejected arguments raised by the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a host of private attorneys representing the Twitter account holders, who had asserted that their … Read more

WikiLeaks, Net nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

WikiLeaks and the Internet are among the 241 nominees for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel nomination comes as Julian Assange, the spokesman for the secret-sharing site, is facing possible extradition to Sweden on sex-related charges, and a criminal probe on likely espionage charges is underway in the Washington, D.C., area.

Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize may come from any professor of "social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology," in addition to national governments and former Nobel Peace Prize recipients, under the rules of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Previous Nobel Peace Prize winners have included … Read more

WikiLeaks, Assange feel the heat (roundup)

Whistle-blower site continues to face heavy criticism and repercussions for publishing extensive details of U.S. military and diplomatic activity. Controversial editor Julian Assange, meanwhile, confronts his own challenges in court.

Assange can be extradited to Sweden U.K. judge approves extradition of WikiLeaks founder to Sweden to face questioning over sexual assault and rape allegations. Assange has a week to appeal. Witness: Assange's version of events needed to be heard Assange extradition hearing kicks off in London (Posted in Politics and Law by Tom Espiner) February 24, 2011 3:38 AM PT

WikiLeaks hearing set in dispute over Twitter data … Read more

Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden

Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden for interrogation by prosecutors looking into sex crime allegations against the WikiLeaks editor, a U.K. judge has ruled.

At Belmarsh Magistrates Court in London today, chief magistrate Howard Riddle said that defense arguments had not convinced him to deny the Swedish authorities' request to issue a European arrest warrant (EAW) against Assange.

"I must order that Mr. Assange be extradited to Sweden," said Riddle. "Mr. Assange has seven days to appeal the decision."

After the ruling (PDF), Assange's supporters told ZDNet UK that there will be an appeal. … Read more

Witness: Assange's version of events needed to be heard

Julian Assange should have been arrested in Sweden as soon as a prosecutor there decided he should be questioned on rape allegations, according to a defense witness in the WikiLeaks editor's ongoing extradition hearing.

Sven-Erik Alhem, a former Swedish prosecutor, told the second day of the hearing at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court that Assange should have been allowed to give his version of events once it was alleged that he had had coercive sex with two women.

"When [prosecutor] Marianne Ny decided to change the original decision not to prosecute [for rape]... in my opinion she should have made … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1402: AOL and the Huffington Post Unite!

AOL joins forces with the Huffington Post, and let's face it, AOL needs all the help can get. While Donald is a little scared. Motorola's Xoom is $799 and it looks like you'll still have to pay to unlock Wi-Fi. Seriously. Plus we talk about our favorite Superbowl ads from the tech world.

Assange extradition hearing kicks off in London

A two-day hearing has begun in London to determine whether WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden for questioning on sex-crime allegations.

On Monday, Assange appeared at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in Woolwich before district judge Howard Riddle. Lawyers for both sides presented their opening arguments in the extradition hearing, which has attracted conspiracy theories suggesting the US government is working through the Swedish authorities to bring Assange into its jurisdiction.

Defense barrister Geoffrey Robertson told the court that Assange would face a closed hearing in Sweden if extradited, as is customary in rape trials there.

"The Swedish … Read more

WikiLeaks founder Assange talks to '60 Minutes'

Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, part 1

In an exclusive interview with "60 Minutes" tonight, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discussed, among other things, his relationship with sources (a crucial legal issue, as the U.S. considers taking court action against Assange), WikiLeaks' vulnerability to government shut down (presumably of concern to Assange, especially since some WikiLeaks supporters have found themselves grappling with various law enforcement agencies), and rumors about an upcoming release of documents embarrassing to Bank of America.

"60 Minutes" offers a transcript of the interview, along with video extras, here, and a behind-the-scenes video here. … Read more

The 404 742: Where we need to talk to our agent (podcast)

We're signed! That's right, Tim Geisenheimer is now our agent, so we trust he'll have our and not CBS' best interests at heart. With that in mind, we're asking Tim to get New York City's first chief digital officer, Rachel Sterne.

Boy, did New York City luck out. Sterne, a 27-year-old Columbia University adjunct professor, now leads the efforts to bring Gotham City into the 21st century. Sterne will focus on how city government uses digital technology to better communicate with citizens. We're thinking she's going to be tweeting and Facebooking all day long. She'll also handle the city's Wi-Fi password, so DM her when you visit and you need Internet.

In more tech news, word has leaked that Sony will be releasing details of the next-generation PSP2 this Thursday. Rumors thus far point to a touch OLED screen and 3G connectivity. All this makes us wonder how different the PSP2 will be from the plethora of smartphones out there.

In more video game news, Duke Nukem Forever, the video game that has been in development since our grandparents were growing up, finally has a release date and trailer. Gearbox, the game's developer, says the game will be released on May 3 in the U.S. and May 6 worldwide. Personally, we think the trailer has a few laughs but disappoints when it comes to graphics.

Finally, we've got some media news. Angry Birds will reportedly get an animated series, according to its CEO. WikiLeaks and Google are also reported getting movies after the success of "The Social Network"! Julian Assange seems like a character, but I don't know if Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be all that entertaining to watch in the basement of their garages.

If you've got a free moment, leave us a voice mail at 1.866.404.CNET (2638). Apparently, Wilson G. Tang and Jeff Bakalar did a pretty good job, along with Scott Stein and Dan Ackerman, hosting Friday's Buzz Out Loud. We know... shocking.

Episode 742 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Subscribe in iTunes video | Subscribe in RSS audio | Subscribe in RSS video… Read more