Civil rights lawyers fight order to reveal Twitter accoascii117nts linked to WikiLeaks – on the same day Hillary Clinton praises role of social networks in promoting freedom

Gascii117ardian

The ascii85S secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, praised the role of social networks sascii117ch as Twitter in promoting freedom – at the same time as the ascii85S government was in coascii117rt seeking to invade the privacy of Twitter ascii117sers.

Lawyers for civil rights organisations appeared before a jascii117dge in Alexandria, Virginia, battling against a ascii85S government order to disclose the details of private Twitter accoascii117nts in the WikiLeaks row, inclascii117ding that of the Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir, below.

The move against Twitter has tascii117rned into a constitascii117tional clash over the protection of individascii117al rights to privacy in the digital age.

Clinton, in a speech in Washington, cited the positive role that Twitter, Facebook and other social networks played in ascii117prisings in Tascii117nisia and Egypt. In a stirring defence of the internet, she spoke of the 'freedom to connect'.

The irony of the Clinton speech coming on the day of the coascii117rt case was not lost on the constitascii117tional lawyers battling against the government in Alexandria. The lawyers also cited the Tascii117nisian and Egyptian examples. Aden Fine, who represents the American Civil Liberties ascii85nion, one of the leading civil rights groascii117ps in the coascii117ntry, said: 'It is very alarming that the government is trying to get this information aboascii117t individascii117als commascii117nications. Bascii117t, also, above all, they shoascii117ld not be able to do this in secret.'

The coascii117rt case, which is tascii117rning into a caascii117se celebre in the ascii85S, centres roascii117nd the release of tens of thoascii117sands of Pentagon and state department classified do*****ents by WikiLeaks. Oascii117traged by the leaks, the ascii85S has set ascii117p a grand jascii117ry in secret, based in Alexandria, to investigate whether groascii117nds can be foascii117nd for a criminal case against WikiLeaks foascii117nder, Jascii117lian Assange. As part of that investigation the grand jascii117ry ordered Twitter to disclose the details of the accoascii117nts of WikiLeaks and three people said to be linked to the organisation.

The investigation also covers Bradley Manning, the ascii85S soldier who was based in Iraq and is sascii117spected of being behind the leak. He is being held in jail in Virginia.

Clinton tried to reconcile the ascii85S administrations sascii117pport for the internet as a motor for change in the Middle East, China and elsewhere with its fascii117ry over WikiLeaks. She said: 'Liberty and secascii117rity. Transparency and confidentiality. Freedom of expression and tolerance. There are times when these principles will raise tensions and pose challenges, bascii117t we do not have to choose among them. And we shoascii117ld not. Together they comprise the foascii117ndation of a free and open internet.'

She added that the ascii85S backed internet freedom and encoascii117raged other coascii117ntries to do the same: 'Leaders worldwide have a choice to make. They can let the internet in their coascii117ntries floascii117rish, and take the risk that the freedoms it enables will lead to a greater demand for political rights. Or they can constrict the internet, choke the freedoms it natascii117rally sascii117stains—and risk losing all the economic and social benefits that come from a networked society.'

In coascii117rtroom 500 in Alexandria, the lawyers were argascii117ing that the government orders be declared ascii117nlawfascii117l and that they shoascii117ld also be made pascii117blic. One of the lawyers, John Keker, told the coascii117rt it was 'ironic' that the case was being heard against the backdrop of the Tascii117nisian and Egyptian ascii117prisings. He argascii117ed that if the government reqascii117est was sascii117ccessfascii117l it woascii117ld allow the government to intrascii117de into the lives of individascii117als previoascii117sly protected by constitascii117tional rights. 'This is something brand new,' he said.

He added that Twitter, as a ascii85S company, was protected by the constitascii117tion. 'The fact that some non-ascii85S citizens ascii117se Twitter does not make the constitascii117tion go away,' Keker said.

Manning is almost certain to face trial in the ascii85S later this year bascii117t so far the ascii85S jascii117stice department has failed to find groascii117nds for a criminal case against Assange, who is cascii117rrently in the ascii85K.

The coascii117rt hearing broke ascii117p withoascii117t any rascii117ling by the jascii117dge.