Twitter has been ordered to hand over personal information from an anonymous and widely followed pro-work account as part of a defamation lawsuit filed by far-right figure Avi Yemini.
The anonymous Twitter PRGuy17 was created in March 2020, when the pandemic hit Australia, with a user image of Simpsons character Troy McClure.
The account often posted content that was strongly supported by Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews, and sought to promote pro-work messages.
PRGuy17’s Twitter account has over 77,000 followers. Photo: PRGuy’s Twitter account
The account has accumulated a large number of followers on the website, accumulating more than 77,000 followers.
Yemini, who told his Rebel News website that his account had been blocked, launched a federal lawsuit in March against the account and the tweets he alleges were defamatory.
Yemini has repeatedly said he wants the identity of the person behind the account to be revealed.
Guardian Australia has requested court documents describing the case.
In consent orders on Tuesday, Judge Debbie Mortimer ordered Twitter to provide basic subscriber information, including account name and email address on the date of registration, within 14 days.
Orders also ask for the IP addresses associated with the account at the time of registration, as well as between the end of December last year and February 11, 2022, and between March 21 and May 20 this year. .
Consent orders mean it was agreed to by Twitter, which will comply with the order. Twitter has stated in the past that it will only deliver information to subscribers when required by court orders or other legal proceedings.
This is not the first such case in which a technology platform has been ordered to deliver account information to anonymous users in order to identify who is behind the account for defamation. In recent years, cases have been filed against Google for unmasking people who leave anonymous reviews to businesses.
If the basic account information does not provide any clues as to the identity of the account owner, the IP addresses will be the next line of inquiry. Unless the account owner used a virtual private network (VPN) at the time of signing in to the account, the IP addresses will reveal which ISP or mobile service provider used the account.
Sign up for the latest Guardian Australia news every morning
The telecommunications company is then usually taken to court to provide information about who had the IP address at the time associated with the account. In 2020, Optus released information revealing the identity of an anonymous negative reviewer on the page of Melbourne dentist Dr Matthew Kabbabe after taking legal action. The case was later settled.
Samantha Floreani, head of Digital Rights Watch, said it was too early to determine what implications the case might have for online anonymity, but said it could revive political desires to push social media companies. to collect more personal information from users so that they can reveal their identity more easily.
“I’m also concerned about the message this sends to people who see how the case unfolds,” he said. “It is very important to remember that for many people the ability to be anonymous online is a vital security mechanism and that it also plays a key role in protecting our right to privacy, freedom of expression and the right to privacy. people to participate in democracy “.
“It’s easy to lose sight of the value of anonymity while you’re caught up in an online frenzy about highly divisible Internet personalities.”
Yemini is also looking for donations through its website for a legal fund, while a recent crowdfunding campaign to “buy a beer” for PRGuy17 says it will cover “obtaining legal advice and security, living expenses and generals “. So far, he has raised more than $ 18,000.
Guardian Australia has requested comments from PRGuy17.