The summons demanded Twitter hand over usernames, account login information, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and IP addresses of those running @ALT_USCIS. § 1509 -- a statute that Congress had authorized solely for ensuring "compliance with federal laws concerning imported merchandise," not for the de-anonymization of tweeters, Twitter said. The law should only be used for "obtaining records to assess whether appropriate duties and taxes had been paid on imported merchandise," Twitter continued. Twitter also claimed the government had violated the Stored Communications Act designed to protect "individuals' privacy and proprietary interests." The ACLU has already stated its planning on helping defend the privacy of the affected users:We're glad Twitter is pushing back.

Source: Forbes April 06, 2017 20:38 UTC