Twitter fined $350K for Non-Compliance with Trump Account Search Warrant

The mega social media platform Twitter was fined $350K for non-compliance with the DOJ’s warrant to provide Donald Trump’s account details.

Here are the details of the news.

Twitter fined $350K for Non-Compliance with Trump Account Search Warrant

Elon Musk’s Twitter suffered a big blow earlier this year when the platform was fined $350K for the alleged non-compliance of the search warrant regarding providing the details of former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

According to the court documents made public on Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a search warrant directing Twitter to provide details about Trump’s Twitter account @realDonaldTrump in January as part of its investigation into the former President’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

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The search warrant was issued with a non-disclosure order that prevented the company from revealing anything about this notice.

In its appeal to the district court in February, Twitter expressed its objection to the demands of the warrant claiming that the non-disclosure order violated the company’s First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, assembly, and petition. It also added that the district court abused its discretion by holding the platform in contempt and imposing the sanction.

Following the hearing, Twitter was fined $350K for contempt of court. As per recently disclosed documents, Twitter did not comply with the order until February 9, three days after the court’s deadline.

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The court filing read, “Although Twitter ultimately complied with the warrant, the company did not fully produce the requested information until three days after a court-ordered deadline. The district court thus held Twitter in contempt and imposed a $350,000 sanction for its delay.”

As per the filing, Twitter requested the district court to examine the validity of the non-disclosure order. The platform also added that if it provided Trump’s account details before the court assessed the legality of the non-disclosure agreement, it would prevent Trump from “asserting executive privilege to shield communications made using his Twitter account.”

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Twitter suspended the former President’s account after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. But Trump’s account was reinstated after Elon Musk captured the platform in November of the same year.

According to the reports, Judge Beryl A. Howell pointed out that there are valid grounds to prevent disclosing the warrant to Trump as it could threaten the DOJ’s ongoing investigation into his attempt to influence the 2020 election results.

The recent court documents stated the search warrant about the former President’s Twitter account was kept secret to avoid Trump’s potential destruction of important evidence.

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The earlier undisclosed court document revealed Twitter’s penalty of $350K for its delayed compliance with a search warrant and the company’s firm objection to the non-disclosure order contained in the warrant for secure investigation.