The FTC announced Thursday that it is monitoring Twitter with “deep concern” as top security executives — including Yoel Roth, the company’s head of trust and safety — sent in their resignations, according to media reports.
“We are tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern,”FTC spokesperson TelledThe Hill. “No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees. Our revised consent order gives us new tools to ensure compliance, and we are prepared to use them.”
It was just hours after Yoel and other top security officials had left the company. Twitter’s Head of Trust and SafetyLea Kissner, chief information security officer and Marianne Fogarty chief compliance officer. AccordingNBC News. Robin Wheeler, who has been promoted to head marketing & sales, also LeftBloomberg reports that it is a record.
Roth, who made an effort to Quell concerns about content moderation since Musk’s takeover, attended Musk’s advertiser call Wednesday, in which the new chief addressed major advertisers and shared his goals for the company. He was gone by Thursday.
Meanwhile, Musk held a last-minute town hall with employees on Thursday and warned them the company could potentially go bankrupt. “Wow. Elon Musk just told Twitter employees he’s not sure how much run rate the company has and “bankruptcy isn’t out of the question,”TweetZoe Schiffer was Platformer’s managing editor and received live reports from the town hall. He reiterated the fact that all employees must attend in person at the town hall.
“I’ve made the hard decision to leave Twitter,” Kissner TweetLate Wednesday, she informed others about her decision. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing people and I’m so proud of the privacy, security, and IT teams and the work we’ve done. I’m looking forward to figuring out what’s next, starting with my reviews for @USENIXSecurity.”
The FTC has always been vigilant about social media platforms and recently fined the company $150 million civil penalty after Twitter used users’ personal information for advertisements ranging from May 2013 to September 2019, violating an FTC consent order.
In the weeks since Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the company was finalized, Twitter has continued to make drastic changes to its staffing, slashing approximately 50% of employees and most recently, canceling remote work and requiring staffers to show up for at least 40 hours per week, starting immediately.
