The corporate’s submitting got here simply hours earlier than FTC Chair Lina Khan testimony on Capitol Hill, the place she obtained a hostile reception from Republicans who’ve accused her of mismanaging the company and conducting a politicized probe into Twitter.
Rep. Jim Jordan, the chair of the Home Judiciary Committee, referred to as Khan’s management of the FTC a “catastrophe” in his opening remarks. He stated her method is characterised by “intimidation adopted by inaction,” describing the scrutiny of Musk’s Twitter as “focused harassment.” Jordan cited Twitter’s submitting, saying that the company’s probe amounted to a “shakedown.”
The FTC declined to touch upon Twitter’s submitting. In her written testimony to the committee, Khan didn’t point out Twitter or Musk. She sought to give attention to a broad vary of the FTC’s circumstances, discussing the company’s work to advertise competitors, battle opioid restoration fraud, restrict scams concentrating on senior residents and regulate synthetic intelligence.
“The FTC stays dedicated to marshalling its assets effectively to be able to successfully defend People from unfair or misleading practices and unfair strategies of competitors,” she wrote.
The FTC’s investigation of Twitter predated Musk’s possession of the corporate. Final 12 months, the company started probing a grievance from whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko alleging that the corporate buried “egregious deficiencies” in violation of an order that the corporate reached with the FTC.
Following a 2011 settlement, Twitter agreed to implement, monitor and regulate safety safeguards to guard customers. However in 2022, the Justice Division accused Twitter of asking customers for his or her telephone numbers within the identify of elevated safety, then utilizing the numbers for advertising. Twitter agreed to pay a $150 million tremendous for allegedly breaking the 2011 order, which barred the corporate from making misrepresentations in regards to the safety of non-public information.
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