Federal prosecutors are scaling down their case against journalist Barrett Brown indicted in 2012 for posting a hyperlink to hacked documents that included e-mail address and credit card information of thousands of people. (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, March 5, 2014, by Michael Rooney)
Brown is still charged with possessing devices with “unauthorized access in an attempt at fraud” and in a separate case “with three counts of threatening and attempting to spread unauthorized information about a federal agent….” The remaining charges are of less concern than those concerning posting a hyperlink that raised serious First Amendment issues. (The Verge, March 5, 2014, by Adi Robertson)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation who has been active in opposing Brown’s indictment released this statement following the government’s action: “We are relieved that federal prosecutors have decided to drop these charges against Barrett Brown. In prosecuting Brown, the government sought to criminalize a routine practice of journalism—linking to external sources—which is a textbook violation of free speech protected by the First Amendment. Although this motion is good news for Brown, the unnecessary and unwarranted prosecution has already done much damage; not only has it harmed Brown, the prosecution—and the threat of prosecution it raised for all journalists—has chilled speech on the Internet. We hope that this dismissal of charges indicates a change in the Department of Justice priorities. If not, we will be ready to step in and defend free speech.” (Electronic Frontier Foundation, March 5, 2014, by Hanni Fakhoury and Jennifer Lynch)