Twitter’s former security chief Pieter “Mudge” Zatko has already made some allegations about the company, and Elon Musk is trying to use that claim to terminate the buyout deal. However, Zatko’s claims against the social platform are so bold that even US senators now want the CEO to be accountable. The letter was written by the Senate Judiciary Committee leaders and was seen by CNN. Senators are worried that Twitter’s security practices harm US national security. Agrawal needs to respond by September 26th. “These allegations raise serious concerns given Twitter’s significant role in the US communications landscape, and its global reach,” Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley noted in the letter.
Twitter is walking on a razor’s edge
Twitter has so far tried to discredit Zatko’s statements. During Delaware’s court hearing last week, Twitter lawyers described Zatko as a “disgruntled former employee” and nothing more. The company has also remained silent on most of the allegations Zatko made against them. On September 13, Zatko appeared at a Senate hearing and made new allegations against Twitter. He even said that Twitter had a Chinese security agent on its payroll. This is not an allegation that can be ignored early, especially amid the current disputes between US and China over Taiwan. Twitter needs to say why a Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) agent must be on its payroll. The court has allowed Musk to use whistleblower claims in his complaint. The company already came under fire by Elon Musk’s lawyers over a $7.75 million severance payment to the former security chief. Musk’s lawyers say paying this money to Zatko could violate the buyout agreement. However, Twitter said they have “breached none of its representations or obligations under the Agreement.” The senators’ letter will also increase the pressure on Twitter, and they need to be accountable for their security practices.
