Peiter Zatko, a former Twitter security chief turned whistleblower, has accused the company of misleading users and US regulators about the company’s security.
Zatko also accused the company of lying about the number of fake and spam accounts on its platform.
In his complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in July, Zatko criticized Twitter’s handling of sensitive information, noting that the company had not properly reported some of these matters to U.S. regulators.
Twitter debunked Zatko’s claims, saying they were inaccurate and inconsistent.
“What we’ve seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context. Mr Zatko’s allegations and opportunistic timing appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers and its shareholders. Security and privacy have long been company-wide priorities at Twitter and will continue to be,” said a Twitter spokesperson.
Zatko’s revelations, particularly about inaccurate spam numbers, could be crucial in the legal battle between Twitter and Elon Musk over the billionaire’s decision not to buy the company after an initial offer of US$44 billion.
The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.