Seven Democratic senators warned the Federal Trade Commission in a letter they wrote on Thursday that Twitter, which is now controlled by Elon Musk, was disregarding users’ rights and urged the organisation to look into any violations of the consent decree it had signed with Twitter.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren, among other senators, requested that the government consider taking enforcement steps against the business and, as necessary, specific executives.
The lawmakers wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, “Twitter’s new Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, has taken alarming steps in recent weeks that have undermined the integrity and safety of the platform, and announced new features despite clear warnings those changes would be abused for fraud, scams, and dangerous impersonation.”
The first two weeks of the billionaire’s ownership of Twitter have been characterised by quick change and mayhem. The previous CEO of Twitter and other senior executives were swiftly ousted, and earlier this month, he laid off half of the company’s workers.
There have been worries that the turmoil may cause Twitter to break the terms of a May 2022 settlement with the American regulator, when Twitter agreed to enhance its privacy procedures and put the responsibility on individuals who held specific roles.
Last Monday, the FTC claimed it was “tracking recent Twitter developments with deep concern. No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees.”
(with inputs from agencies)
