Activist Elliot Madison´s Twitter case sparks criticism of police and FBI

The case of Elliot Madison has alarmed internet rights advocates around the country.  Madison was arrested during the G20 protests in Pittsburgh, for using Twitter to direct protestors away from the police.

On the first day of the protests, Pennsylvania state police raided Madison´s hotel room from which he informed protesters on police movements and how to avoid arrest. Madison was arrested but later released.

Madison is a New York social worker and an activist and he describes himself as an anarchist. His home in Jackson Heights, New York was raided last week by the FBI after it obtained a search warrant. The FBI seized electronic equipment, books, gas masks and a picture of Lenin. The agents did not detain or arrest Madison.

For more on this case and its implications, FSRN contacted Leslie Harris, the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a DC-based non-profit focusing on freedom of speech and privacy on the internet.