Two former employees of Twitter is being charged in the US with spying for Saudi Arabia. The duo allegedly sold personal information, including known critics to the Saudi government.
Two former employees are charged with spying in a San Francisco court. Ahmad Abouammo appeared on court on Wednesday. He was a media partnership manager for Twitter back in 2015. Mr. Alzabarah also accused of accessing the personal data of more than 6,000 Twitter users back in 2015 while he was working as an engineer for Twitter. According to the accusations, they were recruited by Saudi agents in 2015 and paid $100,000 for “consulting services”.
Critics were targeted
A third name, Ahmed Almutairi is also accused of spying. Information from a Twitter account he allegedly accessed was appeared in a not found in a Saudi official’s email. According to the accusations, Mr. Almutairi was an intermediary between the formest Twitter employees and Saudi officials. The whereabouts of the duo are still unknown but they are both believed to be in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is known as an important ally of the USA in the middle east. Twitter, says in a statement about the issue: “We understand the incredible risks faced by many who use Twitter to share their perspectives with the world and to hold those in power accountable. We have tools in place to protect their privacy and their ability to do their vital work.”
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