To: Congress
Twitter knew it was causing harm. It won’t stop itself.
We urge you to open a Congressional investigation into Twitter for privacy and cybersecurity violations alleged by whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko.
Why is this important?
The Twitter whistleblower’s allegations are totally damning. It’s time for a Congressional investigation into the tech giant.
Twitter’s former head of security Peiter “Mudge” Zatko made a nearly 200-page disclosure to the federal government alleging that Twitter mismanages users’ private data, is vulnerable to foreign surveillance and hacking, is negligent with spam accounts, and habitually lies to the federal government.
Twitter’s alleged negligence may be putting us all at risk. Congress must investigate the tech giant for its shady behavior — and for whether it’s putting the rest of us at risk.
Congress must investigate the new whistleblower allegations against Twitter!
The whistleblower reports that the company’s internal security rules allow Twitter employees to easily access and tamper with users’ private data. This policy caused a huge scandal in July 2020, when hackers compromised the Twitter accounts of Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Kanye West, Elon Musk and others.
Twitter made public statements claiming it had addressed this problem, but Zatko’s claims suggest this may not be entirely true. According to Zatko’s filing, in January 2022 over 4,000 Twitter employees were “authorized to access the live production environment and sensitive user data. Twitter lacked the ability to know who accessed systems or data or what they did with it in much of their environment.”
This isn’t the first time Twitter’s security policies have come under scrutiny. In 2011, the FTC investigated Twitter for reckless handling of users’ private data. As part of the settlement, Twitter agreed to establish “a comprehensive information security program” designed to protect private user data. Twitter further agreed not to “misrepresent in any manner, expressly or by implication, the extent to which [Twitter] maintains and protects” private user data. According to Zatko, Twitter hasn’t upheld its end of the bargain.
Congress must investigate Twitter’s alleged abuses and lies — just the latest tale of Big Tech recidivism. It’s just one piece of holding Big Tech accountable.
Congress must investigate the new whistleblower allegations against Twitter!
Twitter’s former head of security Peiter “Mudge” Zatko made a nearly 200-page disclosure to the federal government alleging that Twitter mismanages users’ private data, is vulnerable to foreign surveillance and hacking, is negligent with spam accounts, and habitually lies to the federal government.
Twitter’s alleged negligence may be putting us all at risk. Congress must investigate the tech giant for its shady behavior — and for whether it’s putting the rest of us at risk.
Congress must investigate the new whistleblower allegations against Twitter!
The whistleblower reports that the company’s internal security rules allow Twitter employees to easily access and tamper with users’ private data. This policy caused a huge scandal in July 2020, when hackers compromised the Twitter accounts of Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Kanye West, Elon Musk and others.
Twitter made public statements claiming it had addressed this problem, but Zatko’s claims suggest this may not be entirely true. According to Zatko’s filing, in January 2022 over 4,000 Twitter employees were “authorized to access the live production environment and sensitive user data. Twitter lacked the ability to know who accessed systems or data or what they did with it in much of their environment.”
This isn’t the first time Twitter’s security policies have come under scrutiny. In 2011, the FTC investigated Twitter for reckless handling of users’ private data. As part of the settlement, Twitter agreed to establish “a comprehensive information security program” designed to protect private user data. Twitter further agreed not to “misrepresent in any manner, expressly or by implication, the extent to which [Twitter] maintains and protects” private user data. According to Zatko, Twitter hasn’t upheld its end of the bargain.
Congress must investigate Twitter’s alleged abuses and lies — just the latest tale of Big Tech recidivism. It’s just one piece of holding Big Tech accountable.
Congress must investigate the new whistleblower allegations against Twitter!