Hey, there! Log in / Register
DA seeks Twitter info on some Occupy Boston supporters
By adamg on Sun, 12/25/2011 - 10:21pm
Take a look at this subpoena, sent by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office to Twitter for information on people who used certain accounts and hashtags related to Occupy Boston in the days immediately before and after Occupy Boston's eviction from its Dewey Square encampment.
As Barrett Brown reports, one of the hashtags refers to "doxing," the act of releasing database information publicly; two of the user names also refer to people or groups who do that. In October, somebody posted 1,000 member logins for the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association Web site - following a similar eviction of protesters. On Dec. 15, one day after the subpoena was sent to Twitter, somebody used the site pastebin.com to post a list of 40 top Boston Police officials, their home addresses, home phone numbers and, in some cases, spouse's names. The list also has their annual pay, although municipal salaries are public records (see the Herald salary database).
The subpoena became public because Twitter released a copy to at least one of the people holding one of the accounts, who then made it public.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Love the
request to keep the subpoena confidential! Yeah, suuure, we won't tell anyone!
bostonherald
DA cautioned over Twitter subpoenas
Does the DA
know how twitter even works?
Serious question. Seems they're asking for information on the 2 users but then also put in one general name, and two hashtags. Are they looking for records on everyone who used them?
Color me confused on what exactly they're asking for.
Beats Me
I assume this has to do with the BPD login breach and not OB generally. Any "crimes" the campers committed have already been charged and mostly dismissed, so the subpoenas must have to do with something more serious. But weeding through every tweet with an OB hashtag is going to take a long time unless they have some additional data/evidence to cross reference.
Judges don't have to approve such requests?
What happens if Twitter says "no"? Doesn't the DA have to prove that it's not just a fishing expedition?
Grand Jury?
Of course it's a fishing expedition. Twitter can do nothing, then it's up to the DA to try to get a judge to order compliance.
Maybe they have a grand jury convened, maybe it's about the database hacks, maybe there's some more nebulous conspiracy indictment being pursued against organizers of Occupy Boston in general.
Perhaps it's just a routine Thoughtcrime investigation
Kind of creepy.