The former head of security for Twitter claims the social media giant has major security flaws that present a threat to its users' personal information and even to national security.
The allegations come from Peiter "Mudge" Zatko in a whistleblower complaint obtained by CNN and The Washington Post. The complaint was sent to Congress in July.
According to CNN, it depicts Twitter as operating in a reckless environment and claims the company permits too many of its workers access to sensitive information without sufficient oversight.
It addition, the disclosure alleges that some of Twitter's senior executives are trying to cover up the platform's serious vulnerabilities.
Zatko also claims Twitter officials don't have the proper resources to understand the number of bots on the platform. The number of bots on Twitter has become a key issue in Elon Musk's efforts to drop out of a deal to buy Twitter.
Zatko is claiming at least one of the current staffers may be working for a foreign intelligence service.
Twitter fired Zatko in January, CNN said. The company claims his dismissal was based on poor performance, according to the news network.
But Zatko maintains his whistleblowing comes after he tried to alert Twitter's board of the security lapses.
John Tye, Zatko's attorney and founder of Whistleblower Aid, said Zatko has had no contact with Musk and actually started the whistleblower process before there was any word of Musk's involvement with Twitter.
In a statement, a Twitter spokesperson told CNN that security and privacy are both longtime priorities for the company.
"Mr. Zatko was fired from his senior executive role at Twitter for poor performance and ineffective leadership over six months ago," the Twitter spokesperson said. "While we haven't had access to the specific allegations being referenced, what we've 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's 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."
The Washington Post reported his complaint accuses Twitter of violating the terms of an 11-year settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. Zatko claims Twitter falsely said it had a strong security plan.
But, the Post notes, Zatko says the company's core software was accessible to thousands of workers. He said that led to embarrassing hacks over the years to accounts held by Musk and former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Zatko defended his decision to file the complaint.
"I felt ethically bound," Zatko says. "This is not a light step to take."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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