For those who use GMail

[Julian Assange]

Monday August 31, 2009

By Julian Assange (WikiLeaks)

A California court has issued a subpoena demanding Google reveal the IP addresses of journalists writing for a corruption busting journal from the Caribbean.

The August 28 subpoena, issued by the Superior Court, County of Santa Clara, as part of a "libel tourism" action taken by non-US property developers, demands detailed information about the operators of "[e-mail]". The account is the main email address of the TCI Journal, the most influential journal covering the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Islands are a tourist mecca and tax haven in the Caribbean sea, and until August 14 were an independent British protectorate.

Exposures in the Journal culminated in a dramatic UK governance takeover of the Islands on August 14.

A trail of evidence dug up by the TCI Journal, a UK commission of inquiry, and others, showed that foreign property developers were giving millions in secret loans and payments to senior Islander politicians, including an alleged $500,000 cash payment to the Island's now former Premier, Michael Misick.

The Commission of Inquiry Final Report was released on the 18th of July this year in significatly redacted form. A full version was released by WikiLeaks. A High Court case ensued which initially enjoined all media in the Islands from reporting the redacted findings, however within a few days this restriction was overturned.

The Gmail subpeona applicant, property developer Dr. Cem Kinay, along with his two companies, Turks Ltd, and Star Platinum Island, were mentioned several times during public oral hearings of the Commission of Inquiry and featured significantly in the redacted portions of the Commission's Final Report.

In particular there are allegations of bribery of public officials (e.g of the Premier with an irregular payment of $500,000), in the acquisition of public land valued by the government appraiser at approximately $60 - $100 million dollars U.S., for a price of $3.2 million dollars.

On August 14, the UK announced that it had taken direct rule over the Islands and suspended its parliament.

According to the notifying letter from Google to the Journal, Google intends to hand over the requested records in just over two weeks, without any defense, and states that the Journal may file a counter-motion with the Santa-Clara court itself.

Subpoenas for records are rubber-stamped by US courts, meaning that anyone in a position to start law suits in California can obtain private information about Gmail users who are not in a position to respond in kind, including cash-strapped corruption busting journalists from the Caribbean.

Google has elected to keep extensive, non-anoymized records on its users, but not defend these records from disclosure. This combination, together with inequitable access to justice in Californian courts, is toxic.

see also:

wikileaks.org/wiki/Gmail_subpoena_for_the_identities_of_journalists_running_the_corruption_busting_TCI_Journal%2C_28_Aug_2009

[Ben Fox]

A resort developer has obtained a court order requiring Google Inc. to help uncover the identities of anonymous contributors to an online newspaper that posted articles linking him to government corruption in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Developer Cem Kinay of Miami accuses TCI Journal of causing "reputational damage and lost profits," according to a civil complaint filed in California. A court order tells Google to turn over data that may help identify users of the newspaper's account with Gmail, the Internet search company's e-email service.

Google said in a statement to The Associated Press it is obligated to comply with "valid court orders," but generally notifies users to give them time to challenge an order, as it did in this case. Google has challenged court orders on its own in the past, notably refusing in 2006 to turn over records of millions of search queries to the U.S. Justice Department.

Shaun Malcolm, a contributor to TCI Journal, said Thursday that he and others involved with the newspaper hope to fight the court order.

He called Kinay's court action an attempt to intimidate government critics in the Turks and Caicos, a former British colony near the Bahamas that was put under direct rule by London on Aug. 14 because of alleged corruption. A British-appointed panel reported it found credible allegations that officials, including former Premier Michael Misick, misused public money and profited from the sale of government-owned land.

Kinay's complaint, filed Aug. 19, alleges unidentified contributors "intentionally and maliciously published defamatory statements" about the developer and his companies. Allegations included that they engaged in bribery and corruption; tried to bribe the Journal; made secret payments to obtain citizenship; and engaged in efforts to limit free speech.

No specific damages are sought, but the plaintiffs checked a box indicating potential damages exceed $25,000, the highest option on the cover sheet of the complaint form. Such forms typically precede a formal lawsuit that spells out the allegations in greater detail.

Malcolm, who spoke to the AP from Providenciales, the territory's most populated island, said he expects the complaint filed in San Jose, Calif., near Google's headquarters, is a prelude to a libel suit in Britain or the Turks and Caicos, where the law is more favorable to the plaintiffs in such suits.

Malcolm, a political activist and former director of the main opposition party, writes articles for TCI Journal under his own name, unlike most of the 20 or so contributors. He said the contributors generally use pseudonyms because they fear retribution in the sparsely populated territory.

The claims of defamation by the developer, who is also a physician, are "without merit," Malcolm said. "The Journal has only ever reported accurate accounts of Dr. Kinay's activities," he said.

Kinay declined an interview request through a spokeswoman for his development in the Turks and Caicos. The project, Residences of Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay, is scheduled to be finished next year on a private 560-acre island that Kinay purchased from the government.

Danielle Garno, the Miami-based lawyer who filed the defamation complaint, also declined comment.

Alleged corruption is a prime topic these days in the Turks and Caicos, a popular tourist destination and financial haven that is home to about 23,000 people.

Public hearings earlier this year revealed details of Misick's lavish spending after taking office in 2003. His estranged wife, actress LisaRaye McCoy, described the use of private jets to commute from Los Angeles and other luxuries including a leased Rolls-Royce.

The lead British investigator, Robin Auld, said he found "clear signs of political amorality and immaturity and general administrative incompetence" on the islands.

Misick, who resigned in March, has denied any wrongdoing and called the British panel "modern-day colonialism."