(PatrioticPost.com)- The US government informed the former director of security at Twitter earlier this year that the firm employed at least one agent of China’s main spy agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
This was among the findings revealed during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 13 by Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a whistleblower who served as Twitter’s director of security for around 14 months until being sacked earlier this year.
Reports show that Zatko was informed about the spy roughly a week before he was fired.
Zatko’s testimony was built on charges of pervasive security flaws that might endanger platform users, stockholders, and US national security in a July complaint to federal authorities.
The whistleblower claimed that he was rebuffed when he approached an official at Twitter about his worries regarding foreign agents.
Twitter denies Zatko’s accusations.
According to Zatko, Twitter would be a goldmine for any foreign intelligence organization that could plant an operator inside. Twitter will have a tough time finding them. They will most likely be able to stay for an extended time and gather considerable information.
According to reports, Zatko is a well-known former “white hat” hacker who has previously worked for Google, Stripe, and the United States Department of Defense. In the aftermath of a breach that hijacked hundreds of high-profile accounts to push a bitcoin scam, then-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recruited him in 2020.
According to Zatko’s complaint, Twitter has become increasingly reliant on sales to Chinese entities, even though the platform is blocked in China. Twitter management was aware that receiving Chinese money risked jeopardizing Chinese users. China has detained, persecuted, and imprisoned civilians for using Twitter while bypassing its firewall.
Among Zatko’s concerns is that Twitter deceived authorities about its compliance with a 2011 FTC order about the inappropriate management of user data.
Reports show Twitter is embroiled in a court dispute with tech billionaire Elon Musk, who withdrew from a $44 billion plan to acquire the social media platform due to a lack of openness about the amount of bot and spam accounts on the network. Twitter sued Musk for breach of contract, and Musk countersued, accusing Twitter of deception. The trial is scheduled to begin next month in a Delaware court.
