Peiter Zatko, known in cybersecurity circles as “Mudge,” was fired from Twitter earlier this year. It was introduced by former CEO Jack Dorsey after a large and disruptive hack at the company in July 2020. According to Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit legal group representing Zatko, the former Twitter security chief last month filed a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission as well as members of Congress. Zatko alleged that Twitter violated an agreement with the FTC regarding cybersecurity precautions and accused the company of deception about identifying and deleting fake or unwanted accounts — including those that may have been used for foreign interference or misinformation. The controversy over the prevalence of fake accounts on the network is at the center of Musk’s attempt to cancel his deal to buy the company. Tesla’s billionaire CEO claimed that independent analysis shows the company has grossly underestimated the problem in financial filings. Details of the leaked complaint were first reported by the Washington Post and CNN. Zatko told the Post he was “ethically bound” to make his disclosures. Zatko also alleged that Twitter had foreign agents on its payroll with “direct, unsupervised access to the company’s systems and user data.” Earlier this month, a Twitter employee was found guilty in federal court in San Francisco of spying for Saudi Arabia by passing on the personal information of users critical of the country’s rulers. Twitter said Zatko had been fired from the company due to “ineffective leadership and poor performance.” The company added: “What we have seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is filled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks meaningful context. “Zatko’s allegations and opportunistic timing appear designed to attract attention and damage Twitter, its customers and its shareholders.” Twitter’s share price fell about 5% during afternoon trading in New York. Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote to FTC Chairwoman Lina Kahn on Tuesday calling for an investigation into the whistleblower’s allegations: “If the Commission does not vigorously monitor and enforce its orders, there will be no seriously and these dangerous violations will continue.”

The FTC declined to comment, and the SEC and DoJ did not immediately return a request for comment. The Senate Intelligence Committee said members “were in the process of setting up a meeting to discuss the allegations in more detail. We take this matter seriously.” Whistleblower Aid – which previously represented Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen – said Zatko had no further comment. The team added that it would “of course honor” any calls. Alex Spiro, a lawyer representing Musk, said: “We have already issued a subpoena for Mr. Zatko and found his departure and that of other key employees puzzling in light of what we have found.” On Monday, Musk’s legal team issued a subpoena to Dorsey, who stepped down as Twitter’s CEO in November, seeking any communications between him and executives about how fake accounts were handled, as well as user calculations. that can make money. The case is set for trial in October in the Delaware District Court. “Zatko’s claims seem to echo some of the issues Musk has raised about why he no longer wants to buy Twitter,” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond’s law school. “How credible and relevant Zatko’s account is remains unclear—more discovery as each side assembles its case may help.” Additional reporting by Kiran Stacey in Washington