The Federal Commerce Fee has continuously been asking Twitter Inc. handy it inner communications relating to various points which have occurred after Elon Musk took maintain of the reins, it was first reported by The Wall Road Journal at this time.
Based on that report, the company has been hounding Twitter since Musk took over, sending a number of emails in an try to raised perceive the workings of the corporate. These letters pertain to various points, notably Twitter’s mass layoffs, its controversial Twitter Blue service, and the much more controversial Twitter Files, which appear to expose how a lot energy authorities businesses had over sure narratives that appeared on Twitter pre-Musk.
The FTC has been asking to see Musk’s personal emails and should depose him in some unspecified time in the future. The letters to Twitter recommend that the company is suspicious that Twitter hasn’t been adhering to compliance measures that the FTC set after Twitter was fined $150 million in Could final yr for misleading practices.
On prime of that, regulators concern that after Twitter has laid off so many individuals, together with key staff concerned with privateness and safety, that the platform could not be capable to run itself correctly. They’re additionally involved that Twitter Blue was rushed, which may additionally probably current privateness and safety points.
One of many different issues is the Twitter Information. After Musk’s takeover, he gave three journalists, seemingly led by former Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi, unprecedented entry to Twitter’s communications with authorities our bodies, together with the FBI. Taibbi has claimed repeatedly that moderation of Twitter was forcefully guided at instances by such businesses.
In letters, the FCT has requested Twitter to “establish all journalists” that got this royal entry remedy. It additionally desires to know the “nature of entry granted” and if that was in line “along with your privateness and knowledge safety obligations below the [aforementioned] Order.”
Right now, a Republican-led Home Judiciary Committee referred to as the FTC’s requests “harassment” and “overreach.” A press launch said that the FTC has made greater than 350 particular calls for and is “making an attempt to harass Twitter and pry into the corporate’s choices on issues exterior of the FTC’s mandate.”
“There is no such thing as a logical motive, for instance, why the FTC must know the identities of journalists participating with Twitter,” mentioned the press launch. “There is no such thing as a logical motive why the FTC, on the idea of person privateness, wants to research all of Twitter’s personnel choices. And there’s no logical motive why the FTC wants each single inner Twitter communication about Elon Musk.”
Musk himself talked concerning the matter, at this time characteristically tweeting some emotive language: “A shameful case of weaponization of a authorities company for political functions and suppression of the reality!”
