[TechCrunch] Twitter ‘Considering Legal Options To Defend First Amendment Rights’ As Data Requests Rise 22%

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Twitter today has published its latest Transparency Report, a list of information and takedown requests, as well as copyright notices. The report breaks out for the first time how Twitter is faring on a country-by-country basis — useful considering that these days some 75% of its users are outside the U.S. — and indicates that information requests are up by 66% in the last two years.

But Twitter is also using the release to drive home a point it’s been making for some time now: current rules do not allow Twitter to be as transparent as it would like to be.

[…] when it comes to removal requests, France jumps to the very top by a large stretch. While most other countries have seen none or just one or two removal requests, France has seen 306 removal requests from government agencies and the police; three from court orders; covering 146 accounts (although none subsequently withheld) and 133 specific Tweets withheld. A large part of the story in France centers around groups that have been able to obtain Tweet and account orders by way of current French discrimination laws.

Twitter ‘Considering Legal Options To Defend First Amendment Rights’ As Data Requests Rise 22%