Senators warn Twitter of data security, legal concerns since Musk’s takeover

A group of Democratic senators wrote to Twitter owner Elon Musk and the company’s incoming CEO, Linda Yaccarino, to raise concerns that actions since Musk’s takeover of the social media platform may have violated legal obligations and threatened consumer data security.

Democrat Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) wrote a letter regarding allegations that Twitter, since Musk’s purchase last fall, has “violated its consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and put consumer privacy and data security at risk.”

Recent departures — like the exit of Twitter’s trust and safety head Ella Irwin last week — “raise concerns about Twitter’s ability to comply with its legal obligations,” given two consent orders signed with the FTC, the senators said in the letter, which was dated Friday. 

“Two of Twitter’s top safety executives resigned last week, after months of mass layoffs and hasty product launches. Is Twitter complying with an existing @FTC order to protect consumer privacy and safety? I’m calling for answers,” Warren wrote on Twitter.

The senators in their letter argue Twitter “had a poor track record of protecting consumer privacy” even before Musk acquired the platform, but his “hasty personnel and product decisions” after his takeover raise concerns.

“In November 2022, Mr. Musk fired multiple top executives; top security executives resigned; and Mr. Musk fired employees who had criticized him, let go of contractors, and laid off half of the workforce. On November 9, the day before the deadline to submit a report to the FTC, the Chief Privacy Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer all resigned,” the letter continues.

The controversial takeover included sweeping staff cuts and changes to products, like the Twitter Blue subscription service and verification on the app.

The senators contend “Musk’s behavior reveals an apparent indifference toward Twitter’s longstanding legal obligations, which did not disappear” when he took over the company.

“Regardless of his personal wealth, Mr. Musk is not exempt from the law, and neither is the
company he purchased. Twitter must meet the requirements it agreed to under the 2011 and 2022 FTC agreements. If reports about Mr. Musk’s actions are correct, it appears that the company may not be doing so,” the letter concludes.

The letter requests a reply by June 18 to a series of questions about Twitter and its FTC obligations. Musk has not responded publicly to the letter, and The Hill’s inquiry to Twitter’s press team received the platform’s standard “????” response.