UK complains to Twitter over withdrawal of access to user data

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has protested to Twitter over restricting the government's access to data, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday. The Telegraph newspaper, citing industry sources, said Twitter had withdrawn access to information which helped the police and intelligence agencies identify plots as part of the social media firm's efforts to stop user data being used for surveillance. "We are protesting this decision. We are in talks with Twitter on getting access to this data," the spokesman told reporters. He added that social media companies needed to play a role in the government's fight against terrorism. Twitter was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)