Twitter Obtains Subpoena to Catch its Source Code Leaker, Forcing GitHub to Reveal the Perp

In a recent controversy from the renowned social media, Twitter recently obtained a subpoena that aims to catch the perpetrator behind its source code leak on GitHub. With this subpoena, it now has the power to ask GitHub to comply in revealing the identity of the uploader, as it led to significant insider knowledge on how the platform works and runs.

The new subpoena will require GitHub to comply with the law, to bring the leaker to light after their actions which is a significant hit against the short-word social media.

Twitter Obtains Subpoena to Catch the Source Code Leaker

A court clerk finally signed off Twitter's request for a subpoena, one that would catch the leaker of its source code who first uploaded it via GitHub. This comes after the recent layoffs which Musk undertook in the platform and remains unknown if this was the action of a former employee.

The company requested this subpoena from the US District Court for the Northern District of California last Friday, after learning of the leak.

According to Ars Technica, the source code was immediately taken down by GitHub as Twitter issued a DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) takedown notice, with the company complying with the social media.

However, it did not give the details of the leaker, "FreeSpeechEnthusiast," to Twitter, the principal actor of the incident.

GitHub Forced to Reveal Identity of Leaker to Twitter

With the Twitter subpoena on GitHub, the company is now obliged to reveal the identity of the leaker to social media or courts, as part of its investigation behind the actor. GitHub has until April 3 to supply the information to Twitter and give it what it needs, alongside those affiliated with the account.

Moreover, social media also asks of the people who downloaded, uploaded, and modified it at the same code repository on GitHub.

Twitter and its Recent Issues, Problems

While Twitter has plans to go open-sourced in the coming time, the company still centers on a closed development of its platform, with its codes and other information exclusive to its team. However, this plan to go open source is not yet concrete, as further announcements or details are still unavailable from the tech CEO who first revealed it.

Going open source will help let its code, API, and development platforms be open to the public, particularly to developers who have plans to integrate their services into Twitter or bring new experiences.

Still, this does not change the fact that the recent move of the company is to make its API available under a paid subscription, discontinuing its free API access to third-party developers. It became a serious problem for the third-party apps which the public freely enjoys, with a majority of them pulling out from the social media.

The recent leak of Twitter's source code on GitHub was a massive conflict for the company, as it kept it behind closed doors at this time, with no plans yet to go open-source. Now, it aims to catch the leaker and charge them, with the subpoena giving them an upper hand in learning the true identity of the perpetrator.