Twitter's former head of security, Peiter Zatko, is scheduled to appear before Congress on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Zatko accused the social media company of alarming security and privacy issues.
Zatko to Appear Before Congress
According to The Guardian, Zatko worked as the head of security for the platform until he was fired in January.
In July, he filed a whistleblower complaint with Congress and claimed that he witnessed extreme deficiencies in Twitter's security system.
He also claimed that the company violated the terms of a 2011 Federal Trace Commission (FTC) settlement by falsely claiming that it had put stronger security measures to protect the privacy of its users.
Zatko's claims could affect Elon Musk's attempt to back out of his $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter. In July, Musk revealed that he would no longer purchase the social media platform because the company won't provide the real number of spam bots.
Musk's Accusations
According to Associated Press, Musk accused Twitter of failing to provide enough information about the number of fake accounts on the platform.
Twitter fired back and sued Musk for backing out of the $44 billion deal, accusing the billionaire of making excuses to not follow through with their agreement.
The social media platform had the choice of pushing for a $1 billion breakup fee that Musk agreed to pay, but the company did not want to go down without a fight.
Musk's lawyer Mike Ringler complained that the billionaire had asked Twitter for the exact number of fake and spam accounts for two months. He also asked for the data from the company because he wanted the review the process himself.
However, Twitter kept on delaying his request.
The case court hearing is scheduled in October, and a Delaware judge agreed that Musk could use Zatko's claims against Twitter in his argument in court.
Big Tech vs. Congress
According to The Guardian, the Musk vs. Twitter hearing is the latest to put a tech company in the hot seat as the tech industry is under fire for its abuse of power.
Twitter is also the latest company scrutinized regarding its security and news operations.
Jasmine Enber, the principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, said that the social media company has an outsized impact on global politics and events, and it tried to reposition itself as a news app in the past.
Enber added that Musk's complaints about the platform caught the eye of regulators, and Zatko's testimony added fuel to the fire.
Zatko is the latest whistleblower against big tech after former Facebook employee Frances Haugen came forward with serious allegations in 2021.
Twitter had called out Zatko after his allegations against the company were published by The Washington Post in early September.
A company spokesperson said that Zatko is spreading a false narrative about the company and its privacy and data security practices.
The social media giant also pointed out that Zatko's statements are riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies, and it lacks important context.
Related Article: Twitter's Whistleblower Claims Company Mislead Investors and Regulators About its Security and Privacy
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Written by Sophie Webster
