Just one day after Twitter filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, the federal government backed down from its demand to know the user identity of an anti-Trump account, The Guardian reports. It’s seen as a victory for free speech advocates.
The conflict stemmed from a court order sent to Twitter last month telling the company to disclose who is behind @ALT_uscis, an anti-Trump parody account on the platform.
The social media network cited freedom of speech as grounds for its refusal to acquiesce to the Department of Homeland Security’s demand, according to Reuters.
The @ALT_uscis account, which uses an acronym for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, tweets views opposed to President Trump’s tough stance on the matter. It describes itself as a member of the “immigration resistance.”
The account is among a slew of similar handles with the “alt” prefix that have sprung up in recent months claiming to represent insiders at federal agencies unhappy with the President’s stances on climate change, national security, and other matters. Many of the Twitter accounts began soon after Donald Trump took office.
—RealClearLife
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