NYPD battled Twitter over threat to Mike Tyson show
NYPD battled Twitter for access to user information. In the aftermath of the Aurora and Sikh temple mass shootings, the New York Police Department isn't taking any chances when it comes to online threats.
NYPD battled Twitter for access to user information. In the aftermath of the Aurora and Sikh temple mass shootings, the New York Police Department isn't taking any chances when it comes to online threats.
The New York Police Department subpoenaed Twitter in order to obtain 鈥減ersonal information鈥� about one of the social network鈥檚 users who made online threats reminiscent of alleged Aurora gunman James Holmes.
The NYPD suspects the user鈥檚 tweets are directed at the audience of the 鈥淢ike Tyson: Undisputed Truth鈥� Broadway show directed by Spike Lee, according to The New York Times.
鈥淭his s--- ain鈥檛 no joke yo I鈥檓 serious people are gonna die just like in aurora,鈥� one tweet read. Others included, 鈥淚鈥檓 in Florida rite now, but it鈥檒l happen i promise I鈥檓 just finishing up my hit list,鈥� 鈥淚 might just shoot up this theater in New York,鈥� and 鈥淚 got 600 people on my hit list and that鈥檚 gonna be a mass murder for real.鈥�
The New York Post cited the user鈥檚 Twitter handle as @obamasmistress, with the display name 鈥淎nonymous Celebrity.鈥�
Twitter denied police access to the user鈥檚 personal information and IP address on Aug. 3, but the California-based company decided to comply with the court order served Aug. 6.
鈥淲e appreciate the timeliness and sensitivity of this matter, and have reviewed the reported Twitter account,鈥� Twitter said in an email to the NYPD before Monday鈥檚 subpoena, according to the Times. 鈥淲hile we do invoke emergency-disclosure procedures when it appears that a threat is present, specific and immediate, this does not appear to fall under those strict parameters as per our policies.鈥�
Police have not said whether they have identified the Twitter user.
The NYPD court order has reignited the freedom of speech debate regarding social networks鈥� obligations to the law and whether police can punish users for tweeting potential threats.
鈥淪ocial media is of increasing importance to law enforcement and criminal prosecutions,鈥� Larry Cunningham, associate professor dean at St. John鈥檚 University School of Law and oncetime criminal prosecutor, told CBS News. 鈥淚n general, social media outlets do a very good job of cooperating with authorities, but in this case, however, Twitter should have given the information without a court order under their emergency procedures policy. The threats were clear enough.鈥�
Westword blogger Michael Roberts said the tweets are probably a 鈥渇ailed gag,鈥� but acknowledged that 鈥渋n the wake of the Aurora theater shooting, as well as the Sikh temple massacre in Wyoming, police are going to err on the side of caution.鈥�
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