Considering that the company is already under a 2011 consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission for prior security and privacy violations, Schakowksky said that “Musk should be held personally responsible because he bought Twitter, took it private, and made a conscious decision to violate the 2011 consent decree that Twitter entered into, unequivocally, to protect consumer data”.
Earlier this week, a lawyer for Twitter said Musk’s breakneck pace in setting up new systems, including the new subscription service, would lead to “major incidents.” The FTC responded with a highly unusual warning that they are watching the company with “deep concern.”
musk lawyer allegedly tried to calm concerns from Twitter employees after FTC warning.
“Twitter is already in privacy testing period,” said Sen. ed markey (D-Massachusetts), which is demanding answers Musk on the wave of fake “verified” accounts, including one posing as Markey himself.
“Every day at that company brings with it ever-increasing chaos that threatens the well-being of users,” Markey added. “The FTC has an obligation to ensure that Twitter and its leadership meet their responsibilities under the law and agreements with regulators.”
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment. The vast majority of the company’s communications staff were laid off just over a week ago.
It’s not just data privacy that draws Democratic scrutiny. Senator chris murphy (D-Conn.) wants a powerful governing council research Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Twitter deal. And President Joe Biden said that the platform “spell lies”, adding a few days later that he too would like to see Musk’s foreign ties investigate.
Musk probably didn’t do the left any favors when the backup Republicans the day before the midterm elections, arguing that divided government is best for the country. It was an unusual move for a tech mogul, given that his fellow billionaires tend to avoid entering partisan politics so directly.
And Musk tweeted a false story about the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband a few days after he took over the platform, storage fears between advertisers and users that his promise of a freer and more open dialogue on the platform would usher in a new era of disinformation and malicious content.
musk too said recently that “it is true that I have been under unfair and misleading attack for some time from top Democrats,” and has exchanged criticism on Twitter with top Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.), who has more than 13 million followers on the platform. Musk himself has more than 110 million followers.
It’s the kind of behavior that will likely only increase friction with Democrats in the coming months.
