A recent development in the WikiLeaks case puts the focus on government lawyers, who were asked to defend their tactics in their criminal investigation of WikiLeaks, which published secret US government documents on the internet.   Three individuals under investigation – Birgitta Jonsdottir, Rop Gonggrijp and Jacob Appelbaum – are being represented by organizations such as the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation and are defending their rights against government questioning.  The government is requesting information regarding the individuals’ Twitter accounts. 

According to the ACLU’s Aden Fine, “What’s at stake here is the ability to use the internet freely and privately, without the government looking over their shoulder.”

The primary individuals involved in the government’s case, Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, and Pfc. Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence specialist who has been accused of leaking the documents, are not involved in this hearing.

Regarding the main case against the website, lawyers representing Julian Assange believe that the US Justice Department does not have the jurisdiction to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder or regulate the internet in any way.  Because Assange is a resident of Australia, he cannot be tried for treason in the United States.

Although Hillary Clinton has recently stated the importance of internet freedom, she also defended the government’s actions in the WikiLeaks case.