August 11, 2014
Other Social Media Back Facebook in NYC Dispute
Michael Cox READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Facebook's fight against New York City prosecutors over 381 search warrants for users' postings and other data is drawing support from other social media companies.
Lawyers for Foursquare, Kickstarter, Meetup, and Tumblr said they're seeking to join the clash on Facebook's side. Attorney Richard Holwell says that given New York's growing tech industry, it's increasingly crucial to protect user privacy.
The New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties union also are backing Facebook.
The warrants were issued during a disabilities-benefit fraud investigation. Facebook ultimately turned over the information but is appealing the court order that required it to do so.
A judge has said the search warrants were justified.
A Manhattan district attorney's office spokeswoman says prosecutors have a responsibility to collect evidence, wherever it's stored.
