Today, EFF and a coalition of public interest groups filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in a high-profile battle over whether Google must respond to an unusual and dangerous subpoena issued by Attorney General Jim Hood of Mississippi. As we explain, the subpoena represents a threat to not only large Internet service providers like Google, but also small service providers and the users who rely on their platforms for online speech. Attorney General Hood issued the 79-page subpoena back in October 2014, seeking information about Google’s policies and practices with respect to content it hosts, Internet searches, and more. The request—which was remarkably broad and replete with speculative, non-specific allegations—appeared to be based primarily on allegedly unlawful activities of third parties who use Google’s services. It also appeared to be served in retaliation for Google’s refusal to comply with the Attorney…
↧