Internet Archive successfully fends off secret FBI order
I'm curious how many of these "NSL"s actually have anything to do with actual national security investigations, or if they are just defaulted to if there is a politically plausible excuse that it has something to do with national security.<p>For example: NSL used to go after an ISIS propagandist working within the United States and is a US citizen. They've got information he is talking to ISIS/ISIL via an NSA intercept. They know who he is, he is pretty well involved and known to be involved in radical Islamic terrorist activities and social circles, to the FBI and others. They NSL to get information with the gag required to not tip off and close up the whole cell or disclose IC practices used against foreign adversaries.<p>However, I can see this case being more likely:<p>US Citizen on Twitter quotes the Qu'ran a lot, and writes a lot in Arabic. One day they quote a verse that sounds militant, or say something that seems like it may be an indirect frustration with USG, US citizens, or @-replies somebody who is within a couple of degrees of an investigated radical. Some keyword search FBI runs on the Twitter firehose picks this up and an analyst says "eh, this guy looks sketchy." FBI wants info, doesn't want to cycle through the courts, and knows they can NSL and say it's "because terrorism", even though the person in question is more being profiled for something innocuous than they are actively involved in anything radical (i.e. it's perfectly legal to be a religious Muslim in the United States.)<p>I've a feeling more often than not this is water taking the path of least resistance, and it's easier for special agents to issue these and that's why they issue them so often. Unfortunately we only get to see what an NSL looks like, but I'm curious who the guy is they were going after and what "national security" threat this guy really is or was.