Elon Musk’s Twitter faces a FTC privateness investigation

The FTC late final 12 months deepened an investigation into Twitter’s privateness and information safety practices within the wake of the corporate’s takeover by Musk, Bloomberg reported final 12 months. The deposition of Musk would mark an escalation of that investigation.

The FTC has pummeled Twitter with doc requests, asking the corporate to show over communications associated to its latest layoffs, Musk’s management and different matters, in keeping with the congressional report. The company can also be asking for paperwork associated to the so-called “Twitter Recordsdata,” a mission wherein Musk gave outdoors journalists entry to inner Twitter data. 

The details about the investigation comes from a report launched Tuesday by the Republican-led Home Judiciary Committee, which gives perception into the FTC’s response to Musk’s Twitter takeover. 

The Wall Avenue Journal first reported on the FTC’s plans.

“A shameful case of weaponization of a authorities company for political functions and suppression of the reality!” Musk posted on Twitter Tuesday. 

Twitter didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The FTC declined to remark. 

The FTC within the three months after Musk’s acquisition despatched over a dozen letters to Twitter. The Home Judiciary Committee Republicans of their report claimed the outreach reveals that the company has been “trying to harass” the corporate. 

Twitter is presently underneath a consent decree with the FTC, which means the company is meant to conduct oversight of the corporate’s privateness practices. Most of the layoffs underneath Musk have hit staff charged with defending privateness and safety on the social media platform.