House Democrats demand Twitter respond to whistleblower allegations

by Rebecca Klar - 08/25/22 1:19 PM ET

FILE – The Twitter splash page is displayed on a digital device in San Diego on April 25, 2022. U.S. lawmakers are anxious to hear from Twitter’s former security chief, who has alarmed Washington with allegations that the influential social network misled regulators about its cyber defenses and efforts to control fake accounts. The Senate Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday, Aug. 24 that whistleblower Peiter Zatko will testify at a hearing on Sept. 13 – the same day Twitter’s shareholders are scheduled to vote on the company’s pending buyout by Musk. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), chair of a cybersecurity subcommittee, are demanding that Twitter respond to allegations from a whistleblower about major security deficiencies that the Democrats said could pose national security threats.

The Democrats sent a letter to Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on Thursday asking for details about security flaws identified in whistleblower Peiter Zatko’s complaint, and about action Twitter took in response to warnings raised by Zatko during his time at Twitter or after his departure.

Thompson and Clarke underscored the need for Twitter to take proactive steps to protect users with the upcoming midterm elections around the corner, calling it an “inflection point” for American democracy.

“Twitter plays a unique role in our information and political ecosystems. Security flaws that put users’ sensitive personal data within easy reach of a hacker looking to take control of a high-profile account or a foreign dictator looking for information on dissidents are nothing short of a threat to national security,” they wrote.

“If substantiated, the whistleblower allegations demonstrate a pattern of willful disregard for the personal data of Twitter users and the integrity of the platform.”

Zatko was Twitter’s former security chief. He filed an 84-page complaint alleging widespread security deficiencies at Twitter, according to a copy of the complaint reported by The Washington Post earlier this week. The disclosure was reportedly sent to the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as several congressional committees.

A spokesperson for Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Democrats’ letter. The company pushed back on the allegations raised by Zatko earlier this week, calling it a “false narrative” and “riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies.”

Zatko alleges Twitter has not been complying with a 2011 consent order from the FTC that called for the social media platform to create and maintain a security program to protect privacy and nonpublic consumer information.

He also alleged the platform is vulnerable to exploitation by foreign governments.

Zatko is slated to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 13.