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Rogue tweeters in government could be prosecuted as hackers

This photo shows a Twitter post from the National Park Service's Redwoods National Park account, noting that redwood groves are nature's No. 1 carbon sink, which capture greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming Legal experts say the Justice Department could prosecute tweets from federal agency accounts by unauthorized users under federal hacking laws. Some say that even employees authorized to use official agency Twitter accounts could face legal jeopardy posting messages they weren’t supposed to write. (National Park Service via AP) This photo shows a Twitter post from the National Park Service's Redwoods National Park account, noting that redwood groves are nature's No. 1 carbon sink, which capture greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming Legal experts say the Justice Department could prosecute tweets from federal agency accounts by unauthorized users under federal hacking laws. Some say that even employees authorized to use official agency Twitter accounts could face legal jeopardy posting messages they weren’t supposed to write. (National Park Service via AP)

By Associated Press January 27, 2017 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Legal experts say the Justice Department could prosecute tweets from federal agency accounts by unauthorized users under federal hacking laws.

Some say that even employees authorized to use official agency Twitter accounts could face legal jeopardy posting messages they weren’t supposed to write.

Starting Wednesday, scores of unofficial Twitter accounts appeared purporting to represent federal agencies, mocking President Donald Trump using the same social media service the president uses daily. At least some were linked to federal employees using work email addresses who inadvertently revealed their involvement.

A federal law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that he’s not aware of any requests from federal agencies to investigate rogue tweets.

There has been one side effect to the Twitter dispute. Some government Twitter accounts have seen surges in followers.