Peiter Zatko, Twitter's former head of security, stated that Chinese and Indian intelligence agents actively worked for the company. In his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Zatko noted that these agents were on the payroll of the company, which knew the true identities of these employees.
The former Twitter security chief asserted that the access granted to these agents by the company, would have allowed China and India to access sensitive user data. According to the Associated Press, Zatko informed lawmakers of Twitter's vulnerability to thieves and spies.
I'm here today because Twitter's management is misleading the public, lawmakers, regulators and even its own board of directors
Zatko filed his initial complaint in July, alleging that the company had significant deficiencies in its hacking prevention system. In his lawsuit, Zatko accused several Twitter executives and board members of numerous violations, including making "false and misleading statements to users and the FTC about the safety, privacy and integrity of the platform."
Insecurity disclosures in the run-up to Twitter acquisition
Zatko's revelations are very important in light of Twitter's legal battle with entrepreneur Elon Musk. The creator of Tesla and SpaceX offered to buy the company for $44 billion, however, he later pulled out of the deal as he felt the platform did not give him the data he required to know how many of the users were bots. Twitter then took Musk to court to force him to comply with his offer.
The Delaware judge overseeing the case ruled last week that Musk can include new evidence related to Zatko's allegations in the trial, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 17. During Tuesday's hearing, Musk posted a popcorn emoji on the social network, showing his interest in the former Twitter security chief's statements.
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- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 13, 2022
Separately, Twitter shareholders on Tuesday voted in favor of Elon Musk' s purchase of the social media platform, despite the entrepreneur's efforts to get out of the deal. The purchase would be made for $54.20 per share, more than $10 above what the shares are currently trading for.
Although the vote clears a legal hurdle to closing the final sale, we will have to wait until the October trial for the fate of Twitter's ownership to be resolved.
