Federal officials said Thursday that they are monitoring Twitter after key members of the social media platform’s security team left the company.
In a statement Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission said it is tracking developments at Twitter “with deep concern,” and said, “No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees. Our revised consent order gives us new tools to ensure compliance and we are prepared to use them,” CNBC reported.
The FTC’s statement came after Twitter’s chief information security officer, Lea Kissner, said that she made the decision to leave the company.
I've made the hard decision to leave Twitter. I've had the opportunity to work with amazing people and I'm so proud of the privacy, security, and IT teams and the work we've done.
— Lea Kissner (@LeaKissner) November 10, 2022
I'm looking forward to figuring out what's next, starting with my reviews for @USENIXSecurity 😁
A Twitter employee told The Washington Post that several other members of the company’s privacy and security unit had resigned, as the remaining employees work to stop abuse on the platform’s paid service, Twitter Blue.
Three executives involved in information security, privacy and compliance resigned recently, according to internal communications obtained by CNBC. In one message, an employee warns that the FTC will fine the company for consent decree violations.
In a May consent decree, the FTC imposed a $150 million civil penalty for using private information improperly, and ordered the company to enact new provisions to protect its users. While the FTC has limited authority when it comes to social media platforms, it has used its position to establish itself as a data privacy regulator, The Washington Post reported.
Elon Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter approximately two weeks ago, and has already fired approximately half the company’s workforce, while introducing several changes, including a subscription to Twitter blue for $8, Reuters reported.
When asked about concerns about verification and privacy for official Department of Defense Twitter accounts, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said, “Twitter is a massive platform with huge reach, it would be tough to not be on the platform to reach people where they are, where they get their news, where they communicate. But again, I understand that Twitter is going through a lot of changes right now. So as Twitter adjusts and makes changes, we’re going to have to adjust and adapt too.”
Neither Twitter nor Elon Musk immediately responded to a request for a comment.
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