Whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko’s lawyer John Tye explains Zatko’s role at Twitter following a large-scale hack in 2020 and the reason the cybersecurity expert was let go.
European regulators are investigating Twitter over security, privacy and data protection issues related to the social media giant’s former head of security following a whistleblower complaint about its security measures.
Authorities in France and Ireland confirmed to TechCrunch they were following up on the complaint by Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, who alleged that the company misled oversight bodies over its compliance with local laws.
Zatko alleged Twitter violated the terms of a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission by claiming it had a security plan, The Washington Post reported.
“We became aware of the issues when we read the media stories [yesterday] and have engaged with Twitter on the matter,” Graham Doyle, the deputy commissioner for Ireland’s General Data Protection Regulation told the news outlet.
TWITTER WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGATIONS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
The Twitter application is seen on a digital device, Monday, April 25 in San Diego. Regulators in Europe are investigating the social media giant over allegations related to its security measures. ((AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) / AP Newsroom)
In France, the CNIL, a data protection watchdog, is also investigating the complaint.
“The CNIL is currently studying the complaint filed to the [U.S.] Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice,” the French agency said in a statement Wednesday. “If the accusations are correct, the CNIL could take action leading to legal proceedings or a sanction, if it’s clear there were breaches.”
One of Zatko allegations said the tech giant misrepresented an update to the platform late last year to comply with orders from the CNIL, Politico reported.
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