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An ex-Twitter manager was convicted of spying on Saudi Arabia through sharing user data many years ago, potentially exposing users.
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On Wednesday, he was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison.
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After a trial in San Francisco's federal court, Ahmad Abouammo was found guilty in August.
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Prosecutors desired a "sentence sufficient to deter others within the technology and social-media industry from selling the data of vulnerable customers."
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Abouammo's lawyers had requested that U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued a probationary sentence at Abouammo’s home in Seattle, with no time spent in prison.
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They mentioned Abouammo’s health issues, inability to be convicted, and family problems that affected him while he was on Twitter. This spans 2013-2015.
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Abouammo was charged with trying to find information about two Twitter users. He also received a $42,000 watch from Saudi officials and a pair of $100,000 wire transfers.
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Prosecutors identified Abouammo as the person responsible for Twitter's relations with celebrities and journalists in North Africa and the Middle East.
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To help Saudi officials locate and identify Twitter users of interest, he transmitted sensitive information from company systems. This could expose them to persecution.
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Abouammo was not immediately contacted by federal public defenders. Twitter, which Elon Musk recently bought, and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond.
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