Warrant Canary Frequently Asked Questions
Kurt Opsahl,
EFF,
Dec 13, 2018
The 'warrant canary' is a pretty good idea. When an online service provider receives a demand from the government, this demand is often accompanied with a requirement that it tell no one about the demand. So, for example, Yahoo can never inform you if the FBI demanded your personal information. The warrant canary is a statement Yahoo posts on its website that it would need to remove if it ever received such a demand. For example, the statement might say "the FBI has never demanded that we provide personal information." If the statement is ever removed, you know that this happened, even if Yahoo cannot talk about it. In my case (if I ever felt the need) my warrant canary might say "My employer has never required nor prohibited the posting of any content on this site." This statement is currently true, but if it ever became false, I would have to remove it, and you'd know.
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