Ellen Nakashima Greg Bensinger The Washington Post

Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced. Case highlights the issue of foreign powers exploiting American social media platforms. Charges also reflect the wealth of data that firms compile.

The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia by accessing the company's information on dissidents who use the platform, marking the first time federal prosecutors have publicly accused the kingdom of running agents in the United States.

Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced. Case highlights the issue of foreign powers exploiting American social media platforms. Charges also reflect the wealth of data that firms compile.

The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia by accessing the company's information on dissidents who use the platform, marking the first time federal prosecutors have publicly accused the kingdom of running agents in the United States.