Twitter whistle-blower reveals staff feared China agent could collect user data
- The firm’s ex-head of security Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko says the FBI had told company that there was at least 1 Chinese agent working there
- The famed hacker says Twitter was reluctant to turn away from China as the fastest-growing overseas market for ad revenue
The FBI informed Twitter Inc of at least one Chinese agent working at the company, US Senator Chuck Grassley said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday where a whistle-blower testified, raising new concerns about foreign meddling at the influential social media platform.
Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a famed hacker who served as Twitter’s head of security until his firing last year, said some Twitter employees were concerned that the Chinese government would be able to collect data on the company’s users.
Twitter has come under fire previously for lax security, most notably in 2020 when teenage hackers seized control of dozens of high-profile accounts, including the verified profile for former US president Barack Obama.
On Tuesday, Zatko’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed Twitter’s security issues could be far more serious, alleging for the first time that the company was informed of agents of the Chinese government working at the social media firm.
During his testimony, Zatko referenced a Reuters story on Tuesday that detailed internal clashes between some teams that wanted to maximise the advertising revenue opportunity from Chinese advertisers and others who were concerned about doing business inside China amid rising geopolitical tensions.
“This was a big internal conundrum,” Zatko said, adding the company was reluctant to turn away from China as the fastest-growing overseas market for ad revenue. “In a nutshell, if we were already in bed, it would be problematic if we lost that revenue stream,” he said.
