The BBC news reports that Twitter has closed off access for the UK Government to data which was previously used to track their users. The article seems to express mock outrage that the data is still available for commercial purposes but not for anti-terrorism efforts.

This action by Twitter follows a similar move to prevent the US CIA accessing the Twitter data gathered by a company called Dataminr.

OK all you terrorists - you can breathe easy. Twitter no longer allows the US CIA and the UK Home Office to access and use this data to track you.

Everyone else please note: Companies like Dataminr are allowed to continue to gather this information and sell access to it to the highest bidder.

Don’t worry though; every single company they sell it to has to promise that they’re not a front for the CIA and that they won’t do anything naughty with it and that they’ll make all their employees and contractors promise the same too - with their hands in front so that they can see if they’ve got their fingers crossed.

I wonder if Booz Allen Hamilton thought of doing that when they employed Edward Snowden? Not that he did anything naughty, of course.