US court orders Twitter to release user details of ex-Occupy protester

London, July 3 (ANI): A U.S. court has ordered Twitter to release old messages and details about a user, who was arrested during an Occupy Wall Street protest in New York.

Harris, Managing Editor of New Inquiry, a cultural magazine website was arrested on 1 October, along with hundreds of other campaigners, during a Occupy Movement march across New York's Brooklyn Bridge.

Prosecutors claimed tweets by Harris would reveal that he was "well-aware of police instructions" ordering protester s not to block traffic. However, Harris, and others, said they thought police had given them permission to march on the road.rosecutors, therefore, have asked to see tweets posted by Harris between 15 September and 31 December.

Previously, Harris's lawyer had tried to block access to the postings, but the judge ruled that once the messages had been sent they became the property of Twitter.

However, Twitter challenged the subpoena, arguing that the judge had misunderstood how the service worked.

"Twitter's terms of service make absolutely clear that its users 'own' their own content. Our filing with the court reaffirms our steadfast commitment to defending those rights for our users," the BBC quoted Twitter's lawyer, Ben Lee, as saying.

The firm also said the Stored Communications Act gave its members the right to challenge requests for information on their user history, and that the micro-blogging firm did not want to take on legal battles that its users could pursue independently.he social site expressed disappointment by saying, "We continue to have a steadfast commitment to our users and their rights."

Harris' case has been set to go to trial in December. (ANI)