Attorneys for Twitter issued a subpoena this week to Halo Privacy Inc. of Lynnwood, Wash., seeking documents and information in the social media company’s lawsuit against Elon Musk over his attempt to end their $44 billion acquisition deal.
The subpoena and related exhibits, obtained by GeekWire from public filings in King County Superior Court in Seattle, seek communications and other data from Halo Privacy — focusing primarily on the issue of bots, spam or accounts fake on Twitter, including any related analysis from the Seattle-area company.
Musk is challenging Twitter’s revelations about bots and fake accounts as part of his bid to rescind his deal to buy the San Francisco-based company.
Among other requests, Twitter’s Halo Privacy subpoena seeks documents and information about any agreements, commitments or agreements between the company and Musk, his advisers or data scientists.
Halo Privacy, founded in 2015, does not appear to have been publicly associated with Musk or his dispute with Twitter before. Halo Privacy representatives did not respond to GeekWire’s requests for comment.
The company’s website says it offers a “premium privacy solution tailored for the C-Suite, Boards of Directors, Family Offices and Ultra High Net Worth,” with “platinum services and technology for the most discerning and privacy-demanding clients.” . It also offers a Linux-based tool for collaboration and private messaging.
“Your secrets, kept secret,” is the company motto given by Halo Privacy CEO Kevin Kelly on his LinkedIn profile.
The filing in Seattle comes amid a flurry of activity in the biggest dispute this week, including a whistleblower complaint from former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko that could play into Musk’s hands; and Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick’s rulings that largely rejected Musk’s discovery requests, including some that the judge called “absurdly broad.”
The trial is set for Oct. 17 in Delaware Court of Chancery. The subpoena for Halo Privacy in King County Superior Court was issued in connection with the Delaware lawsuit.
Part of the call zeroed in on Musk’s specific claims — seeking any documents, communications or supporting material in Halo Privacy’s possession regarding tweets from the SpaceX and Tesla founder, like this one.
In addition, the subpoena lists six news articles, seeking material related to any communications with media outlets, representatives, websites or social media platforms regarding these or other articles.
Similarly, the subpoena requests any information or communications in Halo Privacy’s possession a May 17 tweetfrom Tel Aviv-based tech company Cyabra, telling Musk that it estimated 13.7% of Twitter accounts were fake.
Read the full text of the call and related exhibits here or below.
Twitter vs Musk – Halo Privacy Call – King County Supreme Court by GeekWire on Scribd
