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Government Monitors Student Blog Posts
Story investigated and developed by Kristalyn Bunyan
Anyone can google.
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The Secret Service searched and confiscated Freshman Timothy Willis's computer on Tuesday, March 7.
"The Secret Service is investigating me and some of my friends for supposedly threatening the President," Willis wrote in a letter to The Hilltop.
A week earlier, on Feb. 28, Willis had posted some adapted song lyrics on a blog post on MySpace. The original lyrics were from Bullet, a song recorded in the late 1970s by The Misfits. They give a graphic description of the assassination in Texas of former President John F. Kennedy. In the adapted lyrics posted by Willis, the name of President George W. Bush is substituted for that of Kennedy.
He posted the lyrics in response to a blog post by his friend Noah, who blasts Bush and suggests a solution - "You know, Misfits - Bullet style."
Willis wrote The Hilltop to say that "The Secret Service showed up at his (Noah's) house on Monday and confiscated his computer. On Tuesday, they confiscated my computer as well."
Willis, who goes by the display name of Cthulhu Cultists Anonymous, says in a March 6 blog on MySpace, "Honestly, I didn't even think of threatening the President, and that is what makes it so sad. An innocent MySpace blog about someone's dissatisfaction about the current government leader, and several innocent people, most of whom are in college, are being investigated. Well now we know where all of the government's money is going: MySpace."
Willis said he wants people to know that the government is monitoring entries on Internet spaces such as MySpace and Facebook. "Who knew the government was so into MySpace…I implore you, tell everyone you know. MySpace is not safe, nor is any other public method of information exchange."
Reader Comment:
Andy Mrozkowski - MHC Webmaster, 3/12/2006 7:41 p.m. - Ugh, I hate to hear this story..... And I also hate to say this (who does enjoy "I told you so's"). Remember students - virtually ALL internet posts can be viewed by everyone. Yes, the internet is a large place - full of seething opinion, but yours CAN get noticed with just a little web-searching. Another thing to remember: Just because Facebook is password protected, and requires an ".edu" email address - that does not ensure your privacy. Click for more.
Matthew Baldwin, Assistant Professor of Religion, 4/3/2006, 6:19 a.m.
As this story demonstrates, there's no such thing as a truly anonymous "blog." It also demonstrates clearly how the powers that be are drawing the line between political speech and "terrorist" speech these days. My heart goes out to Willis.
I offer these words of advice to anyone who will hear: remember that all of our speech takes place in a world that is real, that words are serious tools, and that we who use words are obligated to understand their potential impact within the world.
Give us your feedback. We value your opinions.
The Hilltop reserves the right not to post anonymous comments or any that could be judged slanderous, that make unverifiable allegations of fact, or use language we consider in bad taste.
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