Twitter’s Former Security Chief Accuses It of ‘Egregious Deficiencies’

According to a whistle-blower complaint, the former head of security has accused the company of being deficient in its hacker-fighting practices.

Peiter Zatko, the former executive, complained about the lack of enforcement of security, privacy and moderation policies. Mr. Zatko was terminated by the company in January after joining in late 2020.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission received his complaints. CNN reported on the complaints.

Mr. Zatko accuses the company of making misleading statements to users, misrepresentations to investors, and acting with "negligence and even complicity" toward efforts by foreign governments to infiltrate the platform.

At a perilous time for the company, the allegations come at a time when it is locked in a legal battle with Musk. There will be a trial at the Delaware Chancery Court in October between the two sides of the lawsuit.

Both Mr. Zatko and Mr. Musk complained about the number of fake users on the site. According to Mr. Musk, the public disclosures about those figures are not accurate.

If true, Mr. Zatko's allegation that the social network is in violation of its settlement with the F.T.C. is the most damaging one. The agency accused the social networking site of having a serious lapse in data security that allowed hackers to gain unauthorized control of the site.

Mr. Zatko was fired in January 2022. She said that they have seen a false narrative about the privacy and data security practices of the company. The timing and allegations of Mr. Zatko appear to be designed to hurt the company and its customers. Privacy and security have always been a priority for the company.

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