Twitter pulls lawsuit
over anti-Trump account, says summons withdrawn
Send a link to a friend
[April 08, 2017]
By David Ingram
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc on
Friday dropped a lawsuit it filed the previous day against the U.S.
Homeland Security Department, saying the government had withdrawn a
summons for records about who was behind an account critical of
President Donald Trump.
A lawyer for the social media company, Mark Flanagan, wrote in court
papers that a U.S. Justice Department lawyer told Twitter about the
withdrawal of the summons on Friday and that the demand "no longer has
any force or effect." (http://tmsnrt.rs/2oKlWnk)
It was not immediately clear why the government had withdrawn the
summons, or whether it had closed an investigation it said it was
conducting. The Justice Department, which defends federal agencies in
court, declined to comment. The Homeland Security Department, which
issued the summons, had no immediate comment.
The abrupt end to the dispute may indicate that Justice Department
lawyers did not like their chances of succeeding in a fight about speech
rights, said Jamie Lee Williams, a staff attorney at the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, which advocates for digital rights.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Apr/08/images/ads/current/centerforyouth_lda2_COUNSELING_2017.png)
"It seemed like a blatant attempt to censor or chill the people behind
this account, or to retaliate against people who are speaking out
against this administration," Williams said.
"This could have been a huge loss for the administration in court," she
added.
Twitter cited freedom of speech as a basis for not turning over records
about the account, @ALT_uscis. The people behind the account have not
disclosed their identities, but the use of "ALT" with a government
agency acronym has led many to assume government employees are behind
such tweets.
The lawsuit said the account "claims to be" the work of at least one
federal immigration employee. (http://tmsnrt.rs/2p6CnXp)
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Apr/08/images/ads/current/pestcontrol_bch_termites.png)
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/040817pics/busine91.jpg)
A 3D-printed logo for Twitter is seen in this picture illustration
made in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 26, 2016.
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Apr/08/images/ads/current/openarms_lda_EASTER_2017.png)
The acronym U.S. CIS refers to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and
the account describes itself as "immigration resistance." Trump has vowed to
build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and has promised to deport
millions of illegal immigrants.
Following Trump's inauguration in January, anonymous Twitter feeds that borrowed
the names and logos of more than a dozen U.S. government agencies appeared to
challenge the president's views on climate change and other issues. They called
themselves "ALT" accounts.
A Twitter spokesman declined to comment beyond the court papers, and the company
has declined to say whether it has received demands about other anti-Trump
accounts.
Social media companies frequently receive requests from governments under seal,
though the requests are typically about a criminal proceeding or national
security matter.
This summons came from an office that investigates employee corruption,
misconduct and mismanagement.
Lawmakers of both parties questioned the propriety of the summons.
Republican senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Mike Lee of Utah sent a letter
on Friday to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, asking what protocols
existed to protect free speech in agency investigations.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/ldn_medical_directory_small_2016.png)
Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, sent a separate letter on Friday to U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, which is part of Homeland Security, requesting an
investigation into why and how the summons was issued.
(Reporting by David Ingram; Additional reporting by Dustin Volz in Washington;
Editing by David Gregorio and Lisa Shumaker)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |