Elon Musk’s Twitter faces FTC privacy investigation
According to a person familiar with the investigation, the Federal Trade Commission plans to depose Elon Musk as part of its investigation into Twitter, the social media platform Musk bought for $44 billion last year.
The FTC deepened an investigation into Twitter’s privacy and data security practices late last year following Musk’s acquisition of the company, Bloomberg reported last year. Musk’s statement would mark an escalation of this investigation.
According to the congressional report, the FTC has bombarded Twitter with requests for documents, urging the company to issue notices about its recent layoffs, Musk’s leadership, and other issues. The agency is also asking for documents related to the so-called “Twitter Files,” a project in which Musk gave outside journalists access to internal Twitter information.
The information about the investigation comes from a report released Tuesday by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which provides a glimpse into the FTC’s response to Musk’s takeover of Twitter.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the FTC’s plans.
“A shameful case of arming a government agency for political ends and suppressing the truth!” Musk posted on Twitter on Tuesday.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FTC declined to comment.
The FTC sent over a dozen letters to Twitter in the three months following Musk’s acquisition. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee claimed in their report that the contact showed the agency “attempted to harass the company.”
Twitter is currently subject to a consent decree with the FTC, which means the agency should oversee the company’s privacy practices. Many of the firings under Musk have hit employees tasked with protecting privacy and security on the social media platform.
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