Twitter’s lawyers have sued Halo Privacy Inc., of Lynnwood, Wash., to seek documents and information from the social media company’s lawsuit against Elon Musk in an attempt to block its $44 billion buyout deal. He made a judgment call this week.
A subpoena and related exhibits obtained by GeekWire from the King County Superior Court in Seattle seek privacy communications and other records from Halo — a Seattle-area company focused on the issue of bots, spam or fake accounts on Twitter, including any related analytics.
Musk is challenging Twitter’s disclosure of bots and fake accounts in an attempt to cancel a deal to buy the San Francisco company.
Among other questions, Twitter’s subpoena to Halo Privacy seeks documents and information about any agreement, relationship or arrangement between the company and Musk, its consultants or data scientists.
In the year Halo Privacy, founded in 2015, does not appear to be officially connected to Field or its previous dispute with Twitter. Representatives for Halo Privacy did not respond to GeekWire’s request for comment.
The company’s website says it offers “a premium privacy solution for the C-Suite, Board of Directors, family offices and ultra-high net worth” with Platinum Services and Technology for “the most discerning and demanding privacy clients.” It also offers a Linux-based tool for personal collaboration and messaging.
“Your secrets, secrets kept,” is the company motto by Halo Privacy CEO Kevin Kelly on his LinkedIn profile.
The filing in Seattle comes amid heightened activity in the larger controversy this week, including a whispered complaint from former Twitter security chief Peter Zatko that could play into Musk’s hands. And rulings by Judge Kathleen McCormick in Delaware largely rejected Musk’s discovery requests, including some that the judge called “too broad.”
A hearing in Delaware Chancery Court is set for Oct. 17. Halo’s privacy appeal in King County Superior Court was tied to the Delaware lawsuit.
The subpoena zeroes in on Musk’s specific claims — seeking any documents, communications or supporting materials related to the SpaceX and Tesla founder’s tweets in Halo’s privacy holdings.
Additionally, the subpoena lists six news reports.
The subpoena likewise seeks any information or communication in Halo Privacy’s possession May 17 TwitterTel Aviv-based technology company Cyabra, Musk estimates that 13.7% of Twitter accounts are fake.
Read the full text of the call letter and related exhibits here or below.
Twitter vs. Mask – Halo Privacy Challenge – King County Superior Court via GeekWire via Scribd
