Caught between Special Counsel Jack Smith and user privacy, X Corp., the giant social media giant, calls for a Supreme Court showdown over its compliance with government requests for user data.
A year after being compelled by federal courts to disclose data related to former President Donald Trump's account, the company formerly known as Twitter is seeking Supreme Court intervention to prevent a repeat scenario.
Under scrutiny is whether social media platforms should be compelled to divulge user data to the government while simultaneously being prohibited from informing those users about such requests.
Owned by Elon Musk, X Corp. reluctantly shared information requested by special counsel Jack Smith regarding Trump's social media activity, despite attempts to delay the process. Allegations of cozying up to Trump were raised, echoing previous criticisms faced by Musk. The tech mogul, who has been vocal in his support of Trump, recently drew parallels between his own legal troubles and political motivations.
X Corp. is not contesting the government's authority to access Trump's records, noting they could have been obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration. Instead, the company objects to the nondisclosure order preventing them from informing Trump about the government's request for his social media data, citing executive privilege or presidential confidentiality. The requested data encompassed Trump's tweets, location information, and search history.
However, the court and prosecutors cast doubt on the likelihood of Trump conducting official business via Twitter direct messages. Ultimately, the company was held in contempt for failing to comply with the court's order to surrender the documents.
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