How does that work then? If I were American (I'm not) is it illegal for me to simply say or publish the sentence "I have received no National Security Orders"?
Presumably not. But it is illegal for you to say "I have received one National Security Order this year".
Hence warrant canaries: they basically consist of creating a strong expectation of a (permitted) negative statement, such that its absence will be noticed. So far it's believed that you can't be compelled to maintain a no-longer-accurate canary against your will.
edit: Wait, I see what you're referring to. [citation needed], because as far as I know warrant canaries remain legal.
Holy shit. People in the land of the free discussing what they are legally allowed to say. Such tricks sound like stories from Soviet Russia that still linger around.
Hence warrant canaries: they basically consist of creating a strong expectation of a (permitted) negative statement, such that its absence will be noticed. So far it's believed that you can't be compelled to maintain a no-longer-accurate canary against your will.
edit: Wait, I see what you're referring to. [citation needed], because as far as I know warrant canaries remain legal.