\u201cMr. Zatko was fired from his senior executive role at Twitter for poor performance and ineffective leadership over six months ago. While we haven\u2019t had access to the specific allegations being referenced, what we\u2019ve seen so far is a narrative about our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies, and lacks important context. Mr. Zatko\u2019s 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 we still have a lot of work ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Zatko\u2019s allegations are explosive and will have a significant effect on the company. The FTC is currently reviewing the complaint, according to sources cited by The Washington Post<\/em>, and would likely levy significant fines against Twitter if Zatko\u2019s accusations are proven to be correct. <\/p>\n

The complaint will also affect the ongoing struggle between Musk and Twitter. Musk is currently trying to extricate himself from a $44 billion agreement to buy the company, justifying the decision with an accusation that Twitter is lying about the true number of bot and spam accounts on the platform. \u201cWe have already issued a subpoena for Mr. Zatko,\u201d Alex Spiro, a lawyer representing Musk, said in a statement, \u201cand we found his exit and that of other key employees curious in light of what we have been finding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s not clear if Zatko\u2019s complaint affects Musk\u2019s legal argument, it will certainly strengthen the public perception of his case, which is based on the accusation that Twitter is undercounting its bots. <\/p>\n

Update August 23rd, 9:35AM ET: Added comment from Elon Musk\u2019s lawyer.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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