X asks Supreme Court to shield users from US government
A person close to X said Harper’s case “raises a concern that [X] users’ speech might be curtailed if the government is allowed to have access to users’ data without a court-approved search warrant”.
They added: “This issue is not specific to X. It means that the constitution does not prevent the government from snooping through any user’s account on any social media platform or financial platform.”
The timing of the intervention by X — the only individual corporation to have filed a brief in the case to date — is notable given the Trump administration’s use of public material on social media to vet migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security last month proposed broadening the collection of social media account handles from visa applicants and those wishing to apply for residence in the US.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
