Twitter Drops Suit Against DHS, CBP After Summons Seeking to Unmask User Withdrawn

Twitter dropped a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection after a summons seeking to unmask an account user critical of the government was withdrawn, the company said in a Friday filing. Twitter lodged the complaint the previous day with U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, citing constitutional free speech protections (see 1704060070) in protecting the identity of user @ALT_uscis. In the Friday filing (in Pacer), Twitter said DOJ informed the company that CBP withdrew the summons. DHS didn't comment. In a statement, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Esha Bhandari, who represents @ALT_uscis, said the "speed with which the government buckled shows just how blatantly unconstitutional its demand was in the first place." She said the anonymity the First Amendment guarantees is vital when people criticize government. In a tweet, @ALT_uscis thanked Twitter and the ACLU "for standing up for the right of free anonymous speech."