Department of Homeland Security to be sued by Twitter for violating first admendment rights

http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-sues-us-government-over-demand-to-reveal-anti-trump-account-2017-4

The government got a little too ballsy--demanding owner identities of a Twitter account when no crime has occurred. If they don't have a problem doing that, imagine how many fucks they'll give when a crime has occurred.

Practice safe OPSEC.


Edit: if anybody cares for a legal analysis of what is happening, I formulated one:

Right now, this a dispute about the parameters of a government investigation, which is a Due Process issue. It becomes a free-speech issue when the government lays charges against someone as a penalty for a speech act. Twitter's citation of the first amendment is a smokescreen until those charges are laid. Anonymity isn't itself a first amendment right. More precisely, anonymity isn't a fundamental right that can be asserted against a government investigation that's properly conducted.

Twitter's real argument is that this government investigation is a fishing expedition, and not properly supported by a Due Process rationale. The government demand came in the form of an administrative summons. Not issued by a criminal investigator or an agency with regulatory authority over Twitter. That's pretty weak authority and Twitter doesn't have to resist by filing a lawsuit. But they filed and used a bunch of first amendment language as a way of communicating to their users that the company will go to the mat to protect users' anonymity.


Edit 2: DHS has withdrawn the request.


Comments


[32 Points] CaptchaKing4Reviews:

Twitter trying to finally get in the black and make some profit.


[21 Points] None:

[deleted]


[3 Points] None:

[deleted]


[2 Points] monkeyjorts:

What's an "admendment"?


[1 Points] Flexxin_finessin:

Cool story bro


[0 Points] MollieIsYourFriend:

IDK if anonymity is an inalienable right, and not more like a personal choice in so far as the internet is concerned..I mean according to the law there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in public and getting on the internet these days seems to me, allot like stepping out into public space.


[0 Points] None:

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[0 Points] cuntycuntcunts:

Twitter fucks are funny, they ban me for practicing my freedom of speech and in turn they want it themselves?! HILARIOUS. get fucked twitter and go away already


[-3 Points] DanteRage100:

I am going to be a contrarian here and say depending on which anti-trump accounts they are looking for, twitter does have an obligation to release information if the accounts were calling for the death/assassination of the POTUS, which is a federal crime if found to be a legitimate threat. Considering that many twitter users were calling for trump to be killed, I'm going with twitter is in the wrong