Twitter India Forced To Hire Government Agent, Claims Whistleblower
Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko said the government agent would have had access to sensitive user data due to Twitter's weak security infrastructure, according to a redacted version of the complaint.
A former Twitter Inc security chief has alleged that the Indian government forced the social media firm to put a government agent on the payroll, according to a whistleblower disclosure with US regulators.
Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko raised the issue with the US Securities and Exchange Commission among other security lapse claims at Twitter.
He said the government agent would have had access to sensitive user data due to Twitter's weak security infrastructure, according to a redacted version of the complaint uploaded by the Washington Post newspaper and verified by Zatko's attorney at Whistleblower Aid.
A company source told Reuters that the allegations about the India government had surfaced previously within Twitter, without elaborating further.
Representatives for India's IT ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"What we've seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement regarding Zatko's allegations.
Twitter is engaged in a legal challenge against the Indian government after it asked a local court in July to overturn some government orders to remove content from the social media platform, and alleged abuse of power by officials.
The next hearing in the case is set for Thursday.
"The company did not in fact disclose to users that it was believed by the executive team that the Indian government had succeeded in placing agents on the company payroll," Zatko's complaint noted.
The Washington Post report said that supporting information for Zatko's claims had gone to the National Security Division of the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Earlier this month, a U.S. court convicted a former Twitter manager accused of spying for Saudi Arabia on six criminal counts, including acting as an agent for the country and trying to disguise a payment from an official tied to Saudi's royal family.
Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko raised the issue with the US Securities and Exchange Commission among other security lapse claims at Twitter.
He said the government agent would have had access to sensitive user data due to Twitter's weak security infrastructure, according to a redacted version of the complaint uploaded by the Washington Post newspaper and verified by Zatko's attorney at Whistleblower Aid.
A company source told Reuters that the allegations about the India government had surfaced previously within Twitter, without elaborating further.
Representatives for India's IT ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"What we've seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement regarding Zatko's allegations.
Twitter is engaged in a legal challenge against the Indian government after it asked a local court in July to overturn some government orders to remove content from the social media platform, and alleged abuse of power by officials.
The next hearing in the case is set for Thursday.
"The company did not in fact disclose to users that it was believed by the executive team that the Indian government had succeeded in placing agents on the company payroll," Zatko's complaint noted.
The Washington Post report said that supporting information for Zatko's claims had gone to the National Security Division of the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Earlier this month, a U.S. court convicted a former Twitter manager accused of spying for Saudi Arabia on six criminal counts, including acting as an agent for the country and trying to disguise a payment from an official tied to Saudi's royal family.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
