A New York judge has ordered Twitter to hand over the tweets and account information of Occupy Wall Street protester Malcolm Harris.
Reuters reports that the Criminal Court Judge Matthew Sciarrino rejected Twitter Inc's central argument that the move would violate Harris' privacy.
"If you post a tweet, just like if you scream it out the window, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy," the judge wrote in his decision, according to the news agency. However, BBC adds that the judge said he would personally review the information and would only release the relevant sections to prosecution and defense lawyers.
More from GlobalPost: Occupy Mexico? How about 'End the Drug War'?
Harris was amongst several hundred Occupy Wall Street demonstrators arrested during a protest march across Brooklyn Bridge on Oct. 1 last year, The Guardian explains. Prosecutors say that messages posted by Harris under the twitter handle '@destructuremal' may show whether he was aware of the police orders he is charged with disregarding.
Twitter says the case could put it in the unwanted position of having to take on legal fights that users could otherwise conduct on their own, CBC reports.
Harris' case is just the first of hundreds of disorderly conduct prosecutions stemming from the Oct. 1 Occupy march.
More from GlobalPost: Germany battles over the future of solar
There is no paywall on the story you just read because a community of dedicated listeners and readers have contributed to keep the global news you rely on free and accessible for all. Will you join the 226 donors who have supported The World so far? From now until Dec. 31, your gift will help us unlock a $67,000 match. Donate today to double your impact!