It’s always a little confusing when a company like Google caters to an oppressive country’s regulatory ask. After all, this is the Internet. Freedom of information, right?
And yet, it looks as if every Internet company instantly caved upon government subpoena requests for information after the WikiLeaks debacle. Except for Twitter that is. Why? Well, Twitter’s legal backing comes from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, a think tank of cyberlaw experts, founded by Charles Nesson, who defended Pentagon Papers leaker, Daniel Ellsberg.
Now, it’s not that Twitter is refusing to cooperate. They’re simply refusing for the matter to be private. They want to be up front with their users regarding what the government is requesting and what they are going to be able to have access to. It’s a smart PR move, if that’s all it is. Or perhaps their legal consultants simply helps them to be more aware of their rights.