An alleged member of Anonymous – indicted for conducting an online attack against PayPal – has asked a federal judge to allow him back on Twitter.
In a motion filed yesterday with a California court, Vincent Kershaw claimed he was being unfairly prohibited from participating in discussions about the upcoming 2012 elections.
According to documents obtained by The Smoking Gun, Kershaw argued that bail conditions barring use of the Internet effectively curtailed his “very right to engage in political discourse in this modern era – [preventing] the perusing [of] such critical communications from our own President or engaging in the Twitter Town Halls in any manner.”
Kershaw also asked Judge D. Lowell Jensen if he could log on to Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to participate in “political debate” and “political speech” in various chat rooms.
Kershaw has been charged with conspiracy and intentional damage to a protected computer under the auspices of “Operation Avenge Julian Assange,” which could earn him up to 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Although the Department of Justice (DoJ) hasn’t yet responded to Kershaw’s motion, it seems highly unlikely that officials will acquiesce to his request.
