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posted by martyb on Monday August 31 2015, @09:48AM   Printer-friendly
from the time-to-start-torrenting-on-a-gigabit-connection dept.

PC World reports on the story of an American teenager who has been sentenced to eleven years in jail and who will have his Internet use monitored by the government for the rest of his life.

His crime was to assume that his Constitutionally-protected Freedom of Speech included posting pro-ISIS messages on Twitter and other social media.

"Today's sentencing demonstrates that those who use social media as a tool to provide support and resources to ISIL will be identified and prosecuted with no less vigilance than those who travel to take up arms with ISIL," said U.S. Attorney Dana Boente...

[Ali Shukri Amin] created the Twitter account @AmreekiWitness in 2014, and used it to provide advice and encouragement to ISIS and its supporters, according to court documents. At one point the account had over 4,000 followers. He also helped other ISIS supporters who sought to travel to Syria to join the group, according to the Justice Department.

The question that Soylentils should ask is, "What groups do I belong to that someone in government might decide are 'terrorist', and am I at risk for speaking out?"

The Canadian government for instance has come within a hair of declaring prominent environmental groups to be terrorists.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by looorg on Monday August 31 2015, @12:34PM

    by looorg (578) on Monday August 31 2015, @12:34PM (#230124)

    I'm not really concerned about him or the sentence. I just wonder about that lifetime of extra surveillance. How will that work?

    "... who will have his Internet use monitored by the government for the rest of his life."

    How exactly will that work? I mean on a practical level. Will the Secret Service, the NSA, the FBI or whomever just tail this guy forever and around the clock? OK so they could install some little blackbox (hardware or software) in his house that copies all he does electronically. That doesn't solve the whole problem tho.

    Will they relocate him to some hut in the middle of nowhere for a life of no electricity?

    His job prospects would seem to be kinda fucked. He has to find a job without computerization or that are willing to have all the companies communications monitored.

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  • (Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Monday August 31 2015, @05:18PM

    by Joe Desertrat (2454) on Monday August 31 2015, @05:18PM (#230288)

    His job prospects would seem to be kinda fucked. He has to find a job without computerization or that are willing to have all the companies communications monitored.

    Perhaps he can travel to the Middle East and get a job with ISIS. They are apparently hiring.

    • (Score: 2) by looorg on Monday August 31 2015, @05:24PM

      by looorg (578) on Monday August 31 2015, @05:24PM (#230293)

      Perhaps he can travel to the Middle East and get a job with ISIS. They are apparently hiring.

      Indeed. I hear he could make a killing.