Judge: Twitter Must Turn Over Occupy Wall Street Protester's Tweets

Prosecutors say the messages could show whether Malcom Harris was aware of police orders he's charged with disregarding

Twitter has been ordered to give a New York City judge almost three months' worth of an Occupy Wall Street protester's tweets despite the social-networking company's efforts to fight prosecutors' demand for the messages.

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr.  also ruled Monday that prosecutors would need a search warrant -- not just a subpoena -- to get the final day's worth of tweets they seek from Malcolm Harris. That's because of a time frame set by federal law.

"We are disappointed in the judge's decision and are considering our options," a Twitter spokeswoman said Monday. "Twitter's Terms of Service have long made it absolutely clear that its users own their content. We continue to have a steadfast commitment to our users and their rights."

Prosecutors say the messages could show whether Harris was aware of police orders he's charged with disregarding.

Twitter Inc. went to court after the judge denied Harris' own bid to challenge the subpoena earlier this year.      

Sciarrino says he will review the material and provide relevant parts to prosecutors.

Harris was among more than 700 demonstrators arrested Oct. 1 on the Brooklyn Bridge.

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