FTC launches investigation against Twitter over lack of data privacy measures

Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, has had a tumultuous year plagued with erratic changes and confusing features. Now, according to new court filings, the FTC has launched an investigation against Twitter due to concerns related to the company’s lax approach to privacy and security measures.

The investigation stems from a 2022 settlement where Twitter, led by Jack Dorsey at the time, faced a substantial $150 million fine while committing to specific privacy and security protocols. However, with Musk taking charge shortly after, these measures seemed to have fallen by the wayside, with the DOJ describing his management style as “chaotic.”

“Evidence the FTC uncovered during its investigation reveals that Musk has been deeply involved in the ‘fundamental transformation’ of X Corp. Several former employees testified about how Musk exercised granular control of X Corp., at times directing employees in a manner that may have jeopardized data privacy and security,” reads the court filing.

Rushing Twitter Blue

The FTC started the investigation in March, initially focusing on the hurried launch of Twitter Blue after Damien Kieran, Twitter’s former chief privacy officer, pointed out that the company bypassed its usual privacy and security reviews. Additionally, the department is also looking into Musk’s attempts to grant a journalist unmediated access to internal systems.

However, perhaps the most critical issue revolves around Musk’s reorganization of company servers between data centres. This is because Twitter’s policy mandates wiping all servers before relocation, but former employees claim that the company overlooked this crucial step. Furthermore, the FTC argues that Musk’s rapid layoffs have hindered their ability to investigate the matter as every employee they identified as a person of interest has either resigned or was terminated by the company.

Twitter’s response

Although Twitter hasn’t responded to these allegations directly, Elon Musk did previously characterized the investigation as the “weaponization of a government agency for political purposes.”