Twitter executives say government requests for information about users has risen by almost 20 percent in the past six months, from 849 in the first half of 2012 to 1,009 in the second half.
Twitter released the information in support of more “transparency” for users, according to statements in an Agence France-Presse report.
“We believe the open exchange of information can have a positive global impact,” said Twitter’s legal policy manager, Jeremy Kessel, in a blog post. “To that end, it is vital for us to be transparent about government requests for user information.”
Those requests, Mr. Kessel admitted, “can have a serious chilling effect on free expression,” as well as on privacy concerns.
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Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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