Twitter refuses US order to reveal user behind anti-Trump account

Senior · #1 (**permalink**) 04-07-2017, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Reuters
April 7, 2017

Twitter on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit to block an order by the U.S. government demanding that it reveal who is behind an account opposed to President Donald Trump's tough immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security, which is a defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment on pending litigation. The Justice Department, which typically represents federal agencies in court, and the White House had no immediate comment.

Twitter said it received an administrative summons last month demanding that it provide records related to the account. A copy of the summons filed with the lawsuit says the records are needed for an investigation to ensure compliance with duties, taxes and fines and other customs and immigration matters. Twitter might have a strong case that the summons was improper, said Paul Alan Levy, staff attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group who specializes in online privacy and free speech issues. "I don't think there is any way for the government to come out of this looking good," Levy said.

A Trump administration "witch hunt". This is similar to the censorship/intimidation tactics used by the Putin regime.

WallyWager · #2 (**permalink**) 04-07-2017, 10:37 AM

Leading from the front, in the war against opinions on the internet.

MrLiberty · #3 (**permalink**) 04-07-2017, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WallyWager

Leading from the front, in the war against opinions on the internet.

And the democrats lead the war against opinion in the schools...........

http://www.politicalwrinkles.com/edu...tml#post880932

waltky · #4 (**permalink**) 04-10-2017, 12:55 AM

The government overstepped its authority in issuing a summons...

US Drops Effort to Force Twitter to Reveal Anti-Trump Account
April 07, 2017 - The U.S. government on Friday dropped its effort to force Twitter to identify users behind an account critical of President Donald Trump, the social media company said.

Quote:

In response, Twitter said it was dropping a federal lawsuit against the U.S. government that challenged the request to unmask the users. Twitter had sued just a day earlier, claiming the government overstepped its authority in issuing a summons to reveal the account owners. The lawsuit said that the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection had sought the identity of the users of Twitter handle @ALT-USCIS.

'Alternative' handles

The account describes itself as "immigration resistance." Its creators told media outlets the account is run by current and former employees of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. It is one of several "alternative" handles purportedly created by current federal employees unhappy with the Trump administration.

It was not immediately clear why the government withdrew its effort to identify the Twitter users. It was also not immediately known whether the government had closed an investigation it said it was conducting into the Twitter account. The American Civil Liberties Union praised the government's decision to withdraw its request, saying in a tweet, "Big victory for free speech and the right to dissent."

US Drops Effort to Force Twitter to Reveal Anti-Trump Account

Mikeyy · #5 (**permalink**) 04-10-2017, 01:16 AM

You are deflecting again. Try to stay on the topic of the thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrLiberty

And the democrats lead the war against opinion in the schools...........

http://www.politicalwrinkles.com/edu...tml#post880932

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