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January 10, 2011

DOJ Subpoenas Twitter for Info on WikiLeaks Accounts 
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The U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed the internet company
Twitter for personal information from Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange
and four other people tied to Wiki Leaks, including Birgitta Jonsdottir,
a member of the Icelandic parliament. The subpoena asks Twitter for all
records and correspondence relating to their accounts, including
apparently private direct messages sent through Twitter. The subpoena
was issued on December 14. Twitter was under a gag order until last
week. It is unclear if Facebook or any other internet company received
similar subpoenas. The government of Iceland has summoned the U.S.
ambassador to discuss the subpoena. Icelandic Interior Minister Ögmundur
Jónasson said, "It is] very serious that a foreign state, the United
States, demands such personal information of an Icelandic person, an
elected official."



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