Recently, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a former cybersecurity specialist at Twitter, published a whistleblowing document on the platform. Zatko highlighted several security issues with Twitter, including the prevalence of bot and spam accounts and vulnerabilities in data security. This disclosure coincided well with Elon Musk’s ongoing efforts to withdraw from the agreement to acquire Twitter through his companies Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk has expressed concerns in the past about Twitter’s security and authenticity as a product versus its public image. With Zatko’s report, Musk and his team argue that it confirms Twitter’s misrepresented nature. Consequently, Musk believes he should be allowed to withdraw from the multi-billion dollar deal as Twitter did not accurately represent itself during negotiations. Musk’s legal representatives have submitted additional concerns based on Zatko’s report to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In response, Twitter submitted its own letter to the SEC, claiming that the whistleblowing report is fabricated and Musk’s attempts to capitalize on it are merely another tactic to exit the substantial deal.
Elon Musk sent Twitter a letter to terminate his acquisition deal, citing allegations from a whistleblower. https://t.co/3GhlR0NtFR
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 30, 2022
Twitter stated that Musk’s filing “relies solely on claims made by a third party, which, as Twitter previously mentioned, contain inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and lack crucial context.”
Musk’s legal team has issued a subpoena to Zatko, requesting his presence in an upcoming deposition.
Image Source: Koshiro K / Shutterstock
