NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A political refugee is suing Twitter over its relationship with Saudi Arabia, his home country.
Ali Al-Ahmed filed a lawsuit June 29 in New York federal court that claims Saudi individuals working for Twitter accessed his information to identify him as a critic of the government. It also notes that his most popular account, with about 36,000 followers, is suspended.
“Indeed, several Twitter users, who either followed Mr. Al-Ahmed’s Twitter account and/or had direct contact with him through the use of private messaging, have disappeared, been arrested or have been executed,” the lawsuit says.
“One such example is Abdullah al-Hamid, a Saudi dissident and follower of Mr. Al-Ahmed’s Twitter account, who was jailed and ultimately died in custody.
He says Saudi Arabia has agents embedded within Twitter. He claims the company is “in league with” Saudi Arabia.
The lawsuit alleges violation of the Stored Communications Act, as well as breach of contract (Twitter’s user agreement), interference with prospective economic advantage and invasion of privacy, among other claims.