Federal prosecutors for the US Department of Justice have accused two former employees of Twitter of spying for Saudi Arabia.
In a criminal complaint, the prosecutors for the justice department accused Ali Alzabarah, a Saudi national, and Ahmad Abouammo, a US citizen. of using their access at Twitter to gather sensitive and nonpublic information on dissidents of Saudi Arabia.
The case, which was unsealed in San Francisco federal court, highlights accusations that the Saudi government is attempting to control anti-regime sentiment abroad as well as recalls a move reportedly ordered by the country's controversial leader to weaponize online platforms against critics.
In a statement, US Attorney David Anderson said: "The criminal complaint unsealed today alleges that Saudi agents mined Twitter's internal systems for personal information about known Saudi critics and thousands of other Twitter users."
"U.S. law protects U.S. companies from such an unlawful foreign intrusion. We will not allow U.S. companies or U.S. technology to become tools of foreign repression in violation of U.S. law," Anderson added.
Another Saudi national named Ahmed Almutairi allegedly served as a go-between to the two Twitter employees and the Saudi government. The criminal complaint stated that Alzabarah and Abouammo received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Saudi government, and one of them also received a luxury Hublo watch.
All three men were charged for acting as illegal agents of a foreign government, with Abouammo being the only one in US custody after his arrest in Seattle on Tuesday. He was also charged with attempting to obstruct the FBI's investigation after he provided a fake invoice to the agents.
Twitter released a statement saying that it "limits access to sensitive account information to a limited group of trained and vetted employees."
The company emphasized: "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. We're committed to protecting those who use our service to advocate for equality, individual freedoms, and human rights."
