Sources reported that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans to ask Elon Musk to appear at a hearing in the recent investigation of Twitter. Elon Musk bought Twitter last year for $44 billion (currently about 306.24 billion RMB).
After Twitter was acquired by Elon Musk, the FTC further intensified its investigation of Twitter’s privacy protection and data security practices late last year. Elon Musk’s appearance at the hearing would mark an escalation of the investigation in this regard.
The FTC also asked Twitter to submit additional documents, including records of communications related to recent layoffs, Elon Musk’s management style and other topics, according to the Congressional report. The FTC is also requesting documents related to the “Twitter Files” project. Elon Musk previously launched the project to allow outside journalists access to Twitter’s internal information.
Information on the investigation comes from a report by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee released Tuesday local time. The report provides some specifics on the FTC’s response to Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
“Shameful example of the weaponization of a government agency for political ends and suppression of truth,” Elon Musk tweeted that day.
Twitter has yet to respond to requests for comment, while the FTC declined to comment.
In the three months since Elon Musk acquired Twitter, the FTC has sent more than a dozen inquiry emails to Twitter. This shows that the FTC has been “attempting to harass” Twitter, the House Judiciary Committee said in its report.
Twitter currently has an agreement with the FTC that allows the FTC to monitor Twitter’s privacy practices. Under Elon Musk’s leadership, a large part of Twitter’s layoffs has targeted employees responsible for privacy protection and information security.
