Twitter is appealing a judge’s decision requiring the social media company to turn over an Occupy Wall Street protester’s tweets and account information to Manhattan prosecutors.
In June, Criminal Court Judge Matthew Sciarrino ruled that releasing Malcolm Harris’s tweets would not violate his privacy, since he had posted them on a public website.
Harris, a Brooklyn-based writer, was arrested with hundreds of other Occupy members during a mass march across the Brooklyn Bridge last fall.
The case has focused attention on a number of murky legal questions surrounding the use of social media, including whether users own the content they post publicly and whether companies like Twitter can prevent authorities from using that information to prosecute social media users.
READ ON: Twitter appeals ruling to hand over Occupy protester’s tweets
Occupy Wall Street filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against New York City, claiming authorities destroyed $47,000 worth of books, computers and other equipment confiscated from the protesters’ encampment in lower Manhattan last fall.
Police conducted a surprise overnight raid at Zuccotti Park in November, clearing scores of protesters who had set up tents at the plaza near Wall Street and dealing a significant blow to the movement’s potency.
As part of the sweep, Occupy claims, police officers seized more than 3,000 books from the “People’s Library.” While some of the books were eventually returned, many were in unusable condition, while the rest were apparently destroyed, according to Occupy’s lawyer, Norman Siegel.
The lawsuit also questions whether the raid itself was constitutional, Siegel said.
California Highway Patrol officers take positions at the Golden Gate Bridge in anticipation of May Day demonstrations in San Francisco, California May 1, 2012. Authorities anticipated demonstrators would shut down the bridge, but agreement was reached to prevent that action. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
LIVE BLOG: May Day protests around the world
Watching a big bank try to be all cool and down with the social kids can be rather like watching your father try to rap. The Twitter feed is embarrassing enough, but the sponsored posts are much worse.
The Occupy movement gets sophisticated
In an answer to critics who say the Occupy movement is unorganized and directionless, Occupy the SEC has formed.
In a 325 page letter it outlines changes needed to the Volcker Rule. But, as Felix Salmon points out, even if those demands are met, they mean nothing if regulators fail to enforce changes.
![Reuters Campaign Finance Correspondent Alina Selyukh sent in this photo from CPAC where Occupy protesters and unions are demonstrating.
Crowds of people were chanting “We got sold out” and “We are the 99 percent” in a demonstration dubbed the “War on workers.”
Another protest is planned for later this evening, Selyukh reports. [REUTERS/Alina Selyukh]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6udc3FkV1qmaoalo1_1280.jpg)
Reuters Campaign Finance Correspondent Alina Selyukh sent in this photo from CPAC where Occupy protesters and unions are demonstrating.
Crowds of people were chanting “We got sold out” and “We are the 99 percent” in a demonstration dubbed the “War on workers.”
Another protest is planned for later this evening, Selyukh reports. [REUTERS/Alina Selyukh]
If you were to stop independent journalist Tim Pool on the street, you may think he’s just a bike messenger, with his skull cap, hoodie and shoulder strap bag.
What you may miss is that Pool has transformed himself into a mobile journalist. He broadcast live videos in the midst of the Occupy movement using just an iPhone, a solar powered backpack and even a drone to an audience of thousands. [Report: Anthony De Rosa]
A conversation between FBI special agents and authorities at the UK’s Scotland Yard was leaked online Friday morning, the latest in a series of data dumps conducted by Anonymous hackers to protest against law enforcement.
But the conference calls may have inadvertently released more information than the hacking collective would be comfortable with.
Read more: Details in leaked FBI call could prove uncomfortable for Anonymous
![The statue of Civil War Major General James McPherson, adorned with a Guy Fawkes mask, is seen in McPherson Square in Washington January 31, 2012. [REUTERS/Gary Cameron]
Read more: Bid to halt no-camping rule for DC protesters denied](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyoho5I8mr1qmaoalo1_1280.jpg)
The statue of Civil War Major General James McPherson, adorned with a Guy Fawkes mask, is seen in McPherson Square in Washington January 31, 2012. [REUTERS/Gary Cameron]
Read more: Bid to halt no-camping rule for DC protesters denied
![An Occupy Washington protester flies a U.S. flag upside down, usually flown as a sign of distress, at Freedom Plaza in Washington January 30, 2012. [REUTERS/Jason Reed]
Read more: Protesters in Washington defiant as eviction deadline passes](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lymmddLqbQ1qmaoalo1_1280.jpg)
An Occupy Washington protester flies a U.S. flag upside down, usually flown as a sign of distress, at Freedom Plaza in Washington January 30, 2012. [REUTERS/Jason Reed]
Read more: Protesters in Washington defiant as eviction deadline passes
