Target: Lina Khan, Chair of Federal Trade Commission
Goal: Launch investigation into potential breaches of security regulations at Twitter.
It’s been a chaotic few weeks at Twitter since new owner Elon Musk’s takeover. Hate speech and fake accounts reportedly soared. A subscription service arrived and crumbled in the blink of an eye. An unexpected mass layoff took out about half of the company’s employees. And when the new head set a deadline for remaining workers to either adhere to his “hardcore” approach or lose their jobs, another avalanche of exits occurred. One of the most troubling developments that could impact consumers is possible breaches of privacy.
The beleaguered company has already come under fire once in recent months for reportedly misusing account holders’ provided information so that ads could be targeted to consumers. Because of these alleged violations, the company must submit regular compliance orders: a step it has seemingly failed to take since the transition. The massive changes in leaderships themselves are cause for more filings related to consumer protection that have yet to be handed over to the proper agencies. Another disturbing aspect of the chaos is the fact that in the layoffs, Twitter’s cyber security team—the first line of defense for safeguarding consumer data–has been gutted.
The whirlwind of developments prompted several lawmakers to call for a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation, executive accountability, and enforcement of the security policies demanded of Twitter. Sign the petition below to echo these calls for better safeguards.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chair Khan,
This commission recently expressed “deep concern” about upheaval at Twitter. You have also reiterated that “no CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees.” Please let imminent actions reflect these words.
Twitter, which holds the data of millions of consumers in its hands, has already violated this trust once. Do not let history repeat itself. Investigate this company and its executives and hold anyone who plays with dangerous fire by using, abusing, and failing to protect privacy standards fully accountable.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Brett Jordan
648 Signatures