The FBI would have notified Twitter of the presence of at least one Chinese agent in the company, exposing user data to the use of foreign intelligence. This is what the former head of security of the company revealed, Peter Zatko, to the Justice Committee of the American Senate. Twitter, according to the manager’s accusation, has on several occasions “ignored” the warnings of security experts, giving priority to “profits over data protection”.
Zatko accused Twitter of lying to its investors and users. Not to understand “the data it collects from users, or how this data is collected”. He explained to the American senators that when he came in two years ago Twitter the company was ten years behind on safety standards.
“For 30 years my mission has been to make the world better and safer. I walked in Twitter because I believed that with my skills I could significantly improve user safety in the United States and around the world ”. But “experience has taught me that making big changes to improve safety is difficult. In fact, exchange rates meet the opposition of those who profit from the status quo ”.
History
Who is Peiter Zatko, the manager who buggers Twitter. He once he said, “I could break the internet in 30 minutes”
by Arcangelo Rociola
Heavy accusations by the former hacker, a semi-mythical figure for computer security experts who in the nineties began working in the world of cybersecurity with positions in American institutions and companies. Zatko said he accepted the offer in 2020 convinced by the intentions of the then CEO, Jack Dorseyto change the situation in the company.
“When I joined I found that the company was ten years behind on some essential security aspects and was not making significant progress. It was like a time bomb ”. He also said that he had tried several times to convince the company to intervene on safety standards, but without having received a hearing. Only after several attempts would he then decide to turn to the authorities.
Twitter fired Zatko in January of this year. Officially due to poor performance at work. In recent weeks, Zatko also said that Twitter has no idea how many fake accounts there may be on the platform. Nor how to protect yourself from them.
Accusations that have made the antennas of Elon Musk, who called him as a witness to the trial that pits him against the company after deciding to cancel his $ 44 billion offer, precisely because of the unspecified number of fake accounts on the platform. Meanwhile, Twitter shareholders will vote on Musk’s proposed purchase today; According to initial preliminary data, the vote will be in favor, writes the Wall Street Journal. The stock of Twitter has not moved much, at the moment it drops 0.1%.
The case
Former Twitter security chief accuses: “Serious flaws in controls, lies about the number of bots”
by Arcangelo Rociola, Bruno Ruffilli
“We have learned that Twitter users’ personal data has been potentially exposed to foreign intelligence agencies. For example, its revelations indicate that India has been able to place at least two alleged foreign assets within Twitter,” Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said introducing Zatko’s hearing.