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November 7, 2019 03:30 am
Original Link: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/8jIKX0CAg6I/former-twitter-employees-charged-with-spying-for-saudi-arabia
Former Twitter Employees Charged With Spying For Saudi Arabia
The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees for allegedly spying on behalf of the Saudi government. A third man is also being charged but didn't work at Twitter. Instead, he allegedly served as an intermediary for the Saudi government and the Twitter staffers. Engadget reports: The Justice Department has charged Ali Alzabarah (the one whose activities first surfaced) and Ahmad Abouammo with using their combined access to monitor Twitter accounts on behalf of the Saudi government. Abouammmo, an American citizen, reportedly snooped on three accounts that included one revealing inner details of Saudi leadership. Alzabarah, a Saudi citizen, is alleged to have obtained personal info for more than 6,000 accounts, including that of high-profile dissident (and Jamal Khashoggi ally) Omar Abdulaziz. A third man charged at the same time, Ahmed Almutairi, is also facing spying charges but didn't work at Twitter. Instead, he allegedly served as a go-between for the Saudi government and the Twitter staffers. According to both clues in the indictment and a Washington Post source, the trio supposedly partnered with Bader Al Asaker, a Saudi official who runs a charity belonging to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The Justice Department claimed that Asaker started grooming the Twitter employees in 2014 in a bid to obtain info. Asaker paid Abouammo a minimum of $300,000 (plus a $20,000 Hublot watch) for his espionage work, while Alzabarah reportedly became the director of bin Salman's private office. Twitter says that sensitive info was limited to a group of "trained and vetted employees," and that there were "tools in place" to protect both users' privacy and their ability to do "vital work." The Washington Post reports that this marks "the first time federal prosecutors have publicly accused the kingdom of running agents in the United States."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Original Link: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/8jIKX0CAg6I/former-twitter-employees-charged-with-spying-for-saudi-arabia
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