AFP
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News from the NOS•today, 20:32•Modified today, 20:52
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A former Twitter boss says the company is misleading the public about how safe the site is. Former security chief Peiter Zatko said in a congressional hearing that Twitter’s security is “ten years behind” security standards, that data is not adequately protected, and that too many people have access to sensitive data.
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“It doesn’t matter who has the keys if there aren’t any locks anyway,” Zatko said. He was in charge of Twitter security until earlier this year. He was fired, according to Twitter, because it didn’t work. But the former CEO says he had to leave after trying to warn management of security risks and help the company resolve technical issues.
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A few months after his resignation, he sued the United States Congress, the Justice Department, the FTC regulator, and the SEC. According to him, nothing was done with simple technical flaws that were exposed by the technicians.
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In Twitter’s corporate culture, according to Zatko, there is only good news at the top. Additionally, too many Twitter employees have access to sensitive information, he said at the hearing. According to him, the top of Twitter chooses to put profits on safety. Zatko said he is risking “his career and his reputation” to warn about security issues on the social media platform.
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In many cases, Zatko cannot corroborate his testimony with documents. A former Facebook employee, who previously acted as a whistleblower at that company, it was possible. However, the former CEO’s statements attract the attention of members of Congress.
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They were alarmed by Zatko’s claims that Twitter had put Indian government employees on the payroll. He said they had access to highly sensitive user data. But it’s unclear if they actually looked into all that data, because Twitter didn’t hold that kind of information, according to Zatko. In addition, the company has far more personal data than users realize. “And sometimes even more data than the company realizes.”
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Senator Durbin, head of the committee, said Zatko described the flaws “that could pose a direct threat to hundreds of millions of Twitter users and to American democracy.” “Twitter is an immensely powerful platform and cannot afford any vulnerabilities.”
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Twitter will not comment on the allegations, international news agencies report. The company will also not explain the matter to Congress. Earlier, a spokesperson said security and privacy have been top priorities for years.
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