X is now the center of controversy after failing to deliver court documents that focus on former president Donald Trump's Twitter data, with the company facing a massive $350,000 fine. This was because Twitter was held in contempt of court for its failure to relay this request from the court amidst its ongoing investigation of the politician and business magnate.
The investigation started in January of this year and it requested that Trump not be notified of the said investigation and request for his Twitter data.
X Fined $350,000 for Contempt Charges by Court
(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
An unsealed court document (via Ars Technica) was revealed now, and it shows a previous course of events that explain why X (formerly Twitter) was charged with a $350,000 fine. This was because Twitter was held in contempt of court by officials after failing to meet the deadline to deliver former POTUS Donald Trump's data for an ongoing investigation.
Initially, Twitter resisted the request by the court to hand over said data as it asked not to notify Trump of its demand for his social media data.
The court's request asked for Trump's Twitter data, at the same time with a nondisclosure to the former president regarding this for 180 days. The nondisclosure was taken as it believed that notifying Trump would "jeopardize" the investigation.
Read Also: Donald Trump's Truth Social App in Turmoil as Chief Engineer Suddenly Resigns
Court Asks for Trump Data but Delayed by X
Twitter failed to produce it during January and also missed the February 7 hearing deadline to bring said data, which was also moved to produce it by the end of the day. After failing to do so, the court imposed a fine of $50,000 per day, which would double per day that it is not given to the court.
Initially, X was able to produce the said data but was incomplete.
The social media company was able to deliver this fully by February 9, as much as three days late, with the platform imposed with a $350,000 fine.
X appealed the case for months but was unsuccessful to rid of the said fine and contempt charges.
X and Former President Trump
The controversial exit of Former POTUS Donald Trump in office saw most of his social media accounts, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube facing a ban due to his actions and posts. However, the former president fought against this, and back in 2022, he filed a complaint against Twitter which he also withdrew as it was found that it did not violate his freedom of speech.
Amidst the chaos and ban, Trump launched attempts at a social media platform, first establishing a blogpost account, then debuting the famous "Truth Social" which was a full-fledged app.
Under Musk's reign, a silver lining opportunity for those who faced bans shined as the then-CEO claimed that he would grant "General Amnesty" for these suspended accounts.
After failing to meet the said deadlines and failing to appeal the charges, X is now facing a $350,000 fine for last February's events, centering on Trump's data.
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