Peiter Zatko, a well-known hacker who was Twitter’s security chief until his dismissal in January, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that some Twitter employees were concerned that the Chinese government might collect data on the company’s users.
He also revealed that Twitter’s security problems could be much more serious, claiming that the FBI had informed the company that a representative of the Chinese Department of State Security was on the company’s payroll.
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa also claimed that the FBI had informed Twitter about at least one Chinese agent working for the company.
Zatko mentioned a conversation he had with another Twitter executive about fears that a foreign agent was working for the company. “Well, since we already have one, what does it matter if we have more?” said the executive.
The allegations have heightened concerns about foreign interference in Twitter, adding fuel to the fire it is now under over lax security measures. Grassley expressed concern about Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s job security if the allegations are true.
A Twitter spokesperson criticized the claims stating that the hearing “only confirms that Mr. Zatko’s allegations are riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies.’ According to the spokesperson, Twitter’s hiring process is free of foreign influence, and data access is controlled through background checks and monitoring and detection systems.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
