Twitter has taken down internal source code for its platform and tools that were leaked on GitHub for months, and is using a subpoena to search for those who leaked and downloaded its code. The leak, which was exposed by someone using the handle “FreeSpeechEnthusiast,” is believed to have been public for several months.
As a solution for the copyright infringement, Twitter indicated that GitHub should provide information about the access history for the leak, likely to determine who downloaded or copied the code.
Twitter is now attempting to use a subpoena to force GitHub to provide identifying information regarding the FreeSpeechEnthusiasm user and anyone who accessed and distributed the leaked Twitter source code, which would be used for further legal action.
The leaker’s GitHub account is still active but no longer has any public repositories.
However, its past activity shows that the user’s first contribution was on January 3. It is unknown how many people accessed or downloaded Twitter’s leaked source code, but the leaker had few followers.
Even so, the leak could have repercussions for Twitter as the code may be scrutinized to find potentially exploitable vulnerabilities.
The leak exposed proprietary source code and internal tools, which could pose a security risk to Twitter.
In response, Twitter issued a DMCA infringement notice to GitHub, which GitHub complied with.
Twitter is now trying to find out who leaked and downloaded the code, and it is using a subpoena to force GitHub to provide identifying information regarding the FreeSpeechEnthusiasm user and anyone who accessed and distributed the leaked Twitter source code, which would be used for further legal action.
In February 2023, Elon Musk, Twitter’s owner and CEO, announced that the company would open source the platform’s algorithm soon, although a timeline has yet to be defined.
On March 31, Twitter is expected to open source the code used for recommending tweets, according to a message on the platform from Musk.
