House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., chair of a cybersecurity subcommittee, are calling on Twitter to respond to whistleblower allegations against the company regarding possible national security threats.
The whistleblower allegations derive from Peiter Zatko, formerly Twitter's security chief, who asserts that Twitter intentionally misled regulators about lax security and spam issues.
Zatko also claims Twitter doesn't have sufficient experience or resources to understand the number of bots on the platform.
Twitter "bots" remain a core concern of Elon Musk — who nixed his $44 billion purchase of Twitter over the matter.
On Thursday, the House Democrats penned a letter to Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal requesting details about security flaws identified in Zatko's whistleblower complaint.
The lawmakers are also seeking action for the warnings raised by Zatko during his time at Twitter, and also after leaving the company.
The letter reads: "Twitter plays a unique role in our information and political ecosystems. Security flaws that put users' sensitive personal data within easy reach of a hacker looking to take control of a high-profile account or a foreign dictator looking for information on dissidents are nothing short of a threat to national security."
Also, the lawmakers said: "If substantiated, the whistleblower allegations demonstrate a pattern of willful disregard for the personal data of Twitter users and the integrity of the platform."
With the November midterm elections approaching, Thompson and Clarke feel it's imperative for Twitter to prioritize user protections, characterizing this period as an "inflection point" in American democracy.
According to CNN, Zatko warned congressional leaders about the instability of the internet — from a security standpoint — 25 years ago, when the internet was in its nascent stage.
And now, Zatko reportedly serves as the focal point of a lengthy disclosure to U.S. lawmakers and regulators, while alleging that Twitter has "engaged in a series of security missteps" that have not been accurately presented to Twitter's board of directors and shareholders, along with the public at large.
According to the Washington Post, the same disclosure has been sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as several congressional committees.
Twitter has yet to make a formal statement regarding the whistleblower complaint.
However, according to CNN, some Twitter officials have referred to Zatko's allegations as a "false narrative" and "riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies."
Zatko is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 13, according to various reports.
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