Twitter lost its top lawyer Friday in a surprise resignation. The General Counsel, Alex Macgillvray, was known as an aggressive advocate of free speech and Internet rights, once describing Twitter as the "free speech wing of the free speech party."
Since becoming known as a key figure pushing Twitter towards a free speech position, Macgillivray left the company after joining Twitter nearly four years ago. He's also credited with turning Twitter into one of the top advocates for user privacy on the Internet, according to the Guardian.
Macgillivray announced his move on his blog, (as well was on Twitter, of course), saying that he was moving on mainly for personal and family reasons, and was looking forward to "just goofing off a bit." But some wonder if Macgillivray's departure - after a long period of intense inquiry over Twitter's systems for reporting abuse - may presage a change in Twitter's view on free speech, privacy, and government cooperation. Recently, Macgillivray fought against U.S. attempts to acquisition private messages of Occupy protesters, as well as pressure from India and the U.K. to limit inflammatory tweets. And his tenure at Twitter happened over a period of exponential growth across the world and his departure takes place just as Internet privacy and free speech seem threatened by revelations of the National Security Agency's PRISM program, which Twitter was not directly named in.
In his announcement on his blog, Macgillivray praised Twitter for its values: "I am proud to have worked with colleagues who defend and respect the user's voice; who push freedom of expression and transparency; and who innovate and lead. Together we've brought some incredible products and talent into Twitter. We've supported teams creating new businesses and pushing to reach every person on the planet. Twitter continues to employ some of the funniest, most generous, smart, passionate and humble people I've ever met."
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