Barbara K Iverson

Email providers have closed their doors rather than comply with secret government requests. And Groklaw, a 10-year-old blog that covers the ins and outs of tech law, is also shutting down, citing the climate of expanded surveillance as one reason. “I don’t know how to function in such an atmosphere” of the NSA “collecting and screening everything we say to one another,” wrote Groklaw founder Pamela Jones. Since Groklaw is built on collaborations that often take place over email, Jones says she can’t continue her work knowing that her communications aren’t private. The chilling of free speech isn’t just a consequence of surveillance. It’s also a motive.