"EFF's client, J. Doe, is a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses who became interested in the history of the organization's public statements, and how they've changed over time. They created research tools to analyze those documents and ultimately created a website, JWS Library, allowing others to use those tools and verify their findings through an archive that included documents suppressed by the church."
"Within the church, dissent or even asking questions has often been punished by labeling members as apostates and ostracizing-or "disfellowshipping"-them. As a result, Doe and others choose to speak anonymously to avoid retaliation that could cost them family, friend, and professional relationships."
"There is no law against questioning the Jehovah's Witnesses. Instead, Watch Tower argues that Doe's activities constitute copyright infringement and seeks to use the special process provided in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to unmask them."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation defends an anonymous Jehovah's Witnesses member who created research tools and a website to analyze the organization's public statements and archived documents. The member discovered failed prophecies, historical erasures, and changing organizational practices. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society responded by filing DMCA subpoenas against Google and Cloudflare to unmask the anonymous researcher, claiming copyright infringement. The researcher remains anonymous to avoid disfellowshipping and social ostracization common within the church for dissent. EFF argues the government should not assist religious institutions in punishing members for inquiry and questions about their faith.
Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation
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