Former Twitter Employee Claims Company Lied About Security ‘Deficiencies’
By Movieguide® Staff
A former head of security for Twitter recently revealed that senior executives within the company lied to regulators, and Twitter’s board, about a lack of security and spam bot mitigation.
The SEC complaint came from Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, whom Twitter fired in January 2022.
Variety reported:
The exec claims his termination was in retaliation for his refusal to stay quiet about the company’s vulnerabilities.
Last month, Zatko filed a complaint with the SEC accusing Twitter of misleading shareholders, alleging it failed to disclose “extreme, egregious deficiencies” in its security practices to investors. He also alleged in an FTC complaint that the company violated a 2010 agreement with the agency to protect user data.
The accusations line up with previous remarks from Elon Musk, who is currently locked in a legal battle with Twitter. The Tesla CEO previously backed out of his deal to buy the company due to the lack of transparency from Twitter on the number of fake bot accounts on the platform.
Twitter denied Zatko’s claim and noted that they fired the head of security for “ineffective leadership and poor performance.”
“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,” a Twitter spokesperson said. “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.“
Movieguide® previously reported:
As his potential landmark $44 billion acquisition of Twitter looms, Elon Musk said he whalt the deal if Twitter refused to release data about the number of “bot” accounts on the platform.
According to estimates, the number of spam/fake accounts is around 20%, despite Twitter’s report of only 5%.
“20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be *much* higher. My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%. This deal cannot move forward until he does,” Musk wrote in a recent Tweet.
Musk said that should the deal go through; his priority would be to clear the platform of fake accounts.
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said that Twitter’s stock would plummet should Musk withdraw.
“If they do not accept a lower price (after negotiations following the bot issue scrutiny over the coming weeks) for the deal and Musk does actually walk then the stock would likely see a sub $30 level with a broken deal in this shaky market backdrop,” Ives said.
“The bot issue at the end of the day was known by the New York City cab driver and feels more to us like the ‘dog ate the homework’ excuse to bail on the Twitter deal or talk down a lower price,” Ives added.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
