Immoral US statists target Twitter in bid to trap Assange

The US government's legal hunt for Julian Assange will begin in a magistrates court in Virginia today when its Attorney General seeks a disclosure order on Twitter to obtain the names, dates and locations of anyone using its services to communicate with WikiLeaks.

However, the Herald has been told Twitter intends to fight the order, claiming it is too broad and breaches its right to protect the confidentiality and free speech of its users.

The new demands could affect thousands of individuals all over the world, including Australia, Britain and the US.

A court order was sent to Twitter on December 14 by the US Attorney's Office in Alexandria, Virginia, demanding details about the accounts of Mr Assange and Private Bradley Manning, the army intelligence analyst suspected of supplying classified information to WikiLeaks.

The US is trying to build a conspiracy case that Mr Assange solicited the leaks.

The other Twitter accounts known to have been targeted are those of Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir, Dutch hacker Rop Gonggrijp, and US programmer Jacob Appelbaum. All have worked with WikiLeaks.

According to a WikiLeaks source, the new tactic is an "attack on the right to freedom of association - a freedom that the people of Tunisia and Egypt, for example, spurred on by information from WikiLeaks, have found so valuable".

Twitter should be congratulated for challenging the court orders, the source said.

There is serious concern among Mr Assange's legal team that other internet companies, including Google and Facebook, may have buckled under the US Patriot Act and surrendered their information without contest.

The anti-terrorism legislation provides a shield for secrecy and it is expected that there will be a public demand by WikiLeaks today asking the other internet companies, including Yahoo, to "explain their position".

The US move against Twitter has led Geoffrey Robertson, QC, who leads the British defence team, to take on the advice of the celebrated Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, famous for defending O.J. Simpson, Claus Von Bulow and Patty Hearst. The two lawyers have known each other for many years.

Mr Assange will not appear in the Virginia court as he remains on strict bail conditions in Britain as he awaits his appeal against a European arrest warrant for his extradition to Sweden on allegations of rape.

Mr Assange's legal team have made clear already that as an Australian who is not alleged to have done any wrong on American territory, US courts have no jurisdiction over him.

The decision on the extradition will be brought down on February 24 after three days of argument in a London magistrates' court last week.

Whatever the decision from the London court, both sides have said they will appeal it to the High Court.

Under the European arrest warrant requirements, this must be done quickly, probably by Easter.

The Herald was unable to contact Twitter for comment.

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Immoral US statists target Twitter in bid to trap Assange

Immoral US statists target Twitter in bid to trap Assange

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