The FBI letter was top secret. Fighting it rewrote online privacy law. ✉ Darknet Diaries Ep. 176 NSL

The FBI letter was top secret. Fighting it rewrote online privacy law. ✉ Darknet Diaries Ep. 176 NSL

July 7, 2026 · 1h 7m

About this episode

Nick Merrill discusses his experience with the FBI's National Security Letter and his efforts to change online privacy law.

One day Nick got a visit from the FBI demanding he give them data on one of his customers. They asked for it in the form of a National Security Letter or NSL. Something wasn’t right about this letter. It seemed to violate the constitution. So he set out to change the law. Learn more about Nicks work at [calyxinstitute.org](calyxinstitute.org) and [phreeli.com](phreeli.com). Check out Cindy’s book Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance . ### Sources * https://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/11/gagged_for_6_years_nick_merrill * https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/u-s-nicholas-merrill-v-loretta-e-lynch-14-cv-9763-vm/ * https://clearinghouse.net/case/12966/ * https://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/dec/06/fbi-national-security-letter-gag-order-nick-merrill * https://www.aclu.org/documents/national-security-letters * https://www.eff.org/cases/re-matter-2011-national-security-letter * Cindy’s Book: Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance ### Attribution Darknet Diaries is created by Jack Rhysider . Assembled by Tristan Ledger. Episode artwork by odibagas . Mixing by Proximity Sound . Theme music created by…

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