At least one former Twitter worker is dealing with jail time for allegedly serving to Saudi Arabia spy on critics. Bloomberg reports a jury in San Francisco has convicted US resident Ahmad Abouammo of serving as an agent for Saudi Arabia, in addition to falsifying information, cash laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to prosecutors, Abouammo took bribes in 2015 from a key aide to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Bader Al Asaker, in return for delicate account data that may very well be used to trace and silence dissidents.
The one-time media partnership supervisor stated that he was solely doing his job. However, the prosecution confirmed proof that Abouammo obtained $300,000 and a $20,000 Hublot watch from the aide.
Abouammo can be sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in jail. He and his authorized workforce have declined to remark. However, protection lawyer Angela Chuang argued in court docket that the conviction is a comfort prize meant to “save face” for presidency officers and Twitter. The US supposedly let its important goal, former Twitter engineer Ali Alzabarah, flee to Saudi Arabia. A 3rd suspect outdoors of Twitter, Ahmed Almutairi, is believed to have acted as a go-between earlier than he left for Saudi Arabia.
The case highlights considerations concerning the potential for employees at social media corporations to abuse account data. Twitter beforehand stated it restricted information entry to vetted staff and had “tools in place” to guard privateness, however these safeguards clearly failed. There are nonetheless considerations web companies could must additional tighten safety to stop related misuses.
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