Former company employee Twitter Inc. yesterday on Tuesday was found guilty of espionage at the expense of users of the social network of the same name on its behalf Saudi Arabiawho wanted to know the identities and other details of those who criticized the kingdom or the royal family.

A San Francisco jury ruled that Ahmad Abuamo sold the personal data of (theoretically) anonymous platform users to Riyadh for tens of thousands of dollars.

He faces up to 20 years in prison for acting on behalf of a foreign government, money laundering, fraud and forgery.

His verdict will be announced later.

“Evidence showed that for money and although he thought he was protected from prying eyes, the defendant sold his position (a Twitter employee) to a person close” to the Saudi royal family, federal prosecutor Colin Sampson said last week, addressing the jury. at the end of a two-week hearing.

The verdict comes amid criticism from human rights activists of Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron for their rapprochement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has long been sidelined internationally since the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the royal consulate in Istanbul in 2018. .

Several NGOs accuse the prince, also known as “MbS”, and his regime of systematic espionage, kidnapping and torturing of dissidents. Riyadh denies this.

Ahmad Abuamo was arrested in Seattle in November 2019. Prosecutors alleged that Riyadh contacted him and fellow former Twitter employee Ali Alzabara in late 2014 and early 2015 and began sending Saudi users data that is only accessible from the company’s systems (email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, etc.). ).

Mr. Abuamo left the company in 2015. Ali Alzabara, a Saudi, left the US.

Angela Chuang, Ahmed Abuamo’s lawyer, admitted that seven years ago, Saudi Arabia could have conducted an operation to obtain information about opponents of the regime, which involved Twitter employees.

But, according to her, her principal is tried instead of Mr. Alzabar. “Obviously, the defendant that the government was looking for is not here,” he said.

Twitter, asked AFP, did not want to comment on the court’s decision.

The platform accuses its former employee of violating company rules by failing to tell superiors that he received $100,000 and a watch worth more than $40,000 from a person close to the Saudi monarchy.

It’s just a “small change” for Saudis accustomed to luxury, Ms Chuang countered.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}