Micro-blogging website Twitter has surrendered data that could be used to identify users behind anti-Semitic tweets to French authorities. The handing over came after months of legal battle waged by Union of Jewish Students, France (UEJF) and four other anti-racism groups.
Twitter said in a statement acquired by AFP that it had handed over information to judicial authorities “enabling theidentification of some authors” who tweeted anti-Semitic and racist tweets, signallingan end to thedispute with thegroups. The company said that the two sides had "agreed to continue to work actively together inorder to fightracism and anti-Semitism". Twitter also said that it will be taking steps to improve the accessibility of the reporting procedure of “illegal tweets”.
The outrage against these tweets started back inOctober last year when tweets anti-Semitic innature were posted on Twitter. They were posted under hashtags like #UnBonJuif (a good Jew) and #UnJuifMort (a dead Jew).They were promptlypulledoff whenTwitter was alerted, but thedamage was done.
The UEJF, along with other anti-racism groups, appealed to thecourt to getTwitter to hand over personal details of theusers who had been posting these tweets inorder to have them prosecuted. The student unionwanted these identifiedusers to stand trial forracist and discriminatory hate speech.
Twitter was asked by the judge inJanuary to hand over thedata saying that it violated French laws against hate speechand Holocaust denial. UEJF and anti-racism groups launched a civil lawsuit against Twitter and its CEO Dick Costolo claimingEUR 38.5 million indamages in March fornot handingover the details in January. Twitter has finally bent and has given thedata to French authorities nearly eightmonths after it was ordered to do so.
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