RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court says prosecutors can demand Twitter account information of certain users in their criminal probe into the disclosure of classified documents on WikiLeaks.
It also says the government can keep the reasons it wants the information sealed.
A three-judge panel rejected the three Twitter account holders' argument that forcing Twitter to cooperate with the government investigation by turning over data amounts to an invasion of privacy and has a chilling effect on free speech.
Prosecutors have said federal law specifically allows them to seek account information as a routine investigative tool. The government must only show that it has a reasonable belief that the records it seeks are relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation.
