Back in 2014, long before Elon Musk took the helm, Twitter/X filed a lawsuit after the FBI said they could not disclose how often the federal government requested user data in the company's annual transparency reports. The lawsuit meandered its way through the court system and, in March of last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the suit.
Now, the Supreme Court has declined to take up the case.
Supreme Court rejects X Corp.’s bid challenging US surveillance disclosures https://t.co/3j8BAVX7Hh pic.twitter.com/6DcHzR8haL
— New York Post (@nypost) January 8, 2024
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by Elon Musk’s X Corp. to consider whether the social media company, formerly called Twitter, can publicly disclose how often federal law enforcement seeks information about users for national security investigations.
The justices declined to hear X’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling holding that the FBI’s restrictions on what the company could say publicly about the investigations did not violate its free speech rights under the Constitution’s First Amendment.
X had said it was “critical” for the justices to take up the case to establish clear standards for when and how tech companies can speak about government demands for confidential information about their users for surveillance.
Because of 'national security concerns', the courts ruled against Twitter/X.
You have to read this. @elonmusk, in keeping w/ spirit of Twitter Files, wanted to tell the American public how often their own government forces 𝕏 to turn over their DMs & info so the gov’t can spy on them.
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) January 8, 2024
Courts ruled gov’t spying on Americans must remain a secret. https://t.co/iLh0c7xCYP pic.twitter.com/fGoyRe7pbf
We're not surprised by the ruling.
Disappointing that the Supreme Court declined to hear this matter
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2024
Very disappointing.
This is beyond absurd.
— ₿ Michelle Ray ₿ (@GaltsGirl) January 9, 2024
EVERYONE knows that the government ( Not just the U.S. government) demands information on social media users in the name of national security.
How, possibly, could revealing how often that happens endanger anything ... other than public ignorance? https://t.co/lTHpxWyNZg
An excellent question. One we'll never get a direct answer to.
Very little the government does should be a secret in a free country. https://t.co/p3HxHy5O0c
— Sunny Lohmann (@sunnylohmann) January 8, 2024
Very little. Next to zero.
Remember how KJP said this administration is committed to transparency just yesterday? We do.
The volume of your Government spying on you must remain a secret according to SCOTUS. My question is ... Why? https://t.co/ff4l3NoxYK
— AZchilly (@AZchilly) January 8, 2024
There's no good reason to keep it a secret. So we'd like to know why as well.
The People must be protected from the knowledge of government abuse of their human rights.#ForYourSafety https://t.co/5fSBl1kW74
— WildColonialGal 🐵🐭🦘 (@WildColonialGal) January 8, 2024
Do you feel safe and protected? We don't.
In the Digital Age privacy only belongs to the State https://t.co/mrETEwEHbb
— Before the Stack (@BeforeTheStack) January 8, 2024
Sadly, yes.
But hey go cast your inform vote when you’re not allowed to see your government spying on you. That’s democracy https://t.co/kqn3cpRNBn
— ColonelTowner-Watkins (@ColonelTowner) January 8, 2024
'Informed' indeed.
Laughable ruling.
— MrBojangles (@MrBojangles427) January 8, 2024
Governments and their institutions would be so much more trusted if they were simply as transparent as possible.
I get that that is not how the systems have evolved to function, but how do they not get that they are their own worst enemy in this area? https://t.co/PvX7Hw3NBI
Because they don't care about being trusted.
They have the power. That's all they care about.
WOW. The references to things being like 1984 are becoming redundant. It's already lost any impact. It's becoming "same as it ever was" https://t.co/msRGcvnu0h
— J Commbe (@JCommbe) January 8, 2024
Lots of people used Orwell as an instruction manual, unfortunately.
What if @elonmusk just does it anyway? https://t.co/BmIehwQAVV
— Namecannotbeblank (@1thWorldProblem) January 8, 2024
That's how you end up in federal prison for a long time.
Then he should do what the federal government does, and have leakers "steal" the information to release it publicly.
— T. Alan Horne (@TAlanHorne) January 8, 2024
Then he can make a big show of shaking his fist and cursing those dang hacker5s. https://t.co/m4f3jCMRdX
We'd advise against this, but it happens all the time.
SCOTUS declining to take up the case leaves Twitter/X stuck withholding this information, unfortunately. Maybe things will change down the road. But we wouldn't hold our breath.
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