Twitter asks federal judge to terminate FTC settlement
Twitter is seeking to terminate a $150 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that was reached last year. The settlement came after Lina Khan, the head of the FTC, accused Twitter of violating user privacy. In a court filing, Twitter claimed that it had been subjected to a “burdensome and vexatious enforcement investigation” by the FTC, which has gained a reputation for aggressively pursuing antitrust cases under Khan’s leadership. Republican lawmakers accused Khan of having an anti-business agenda against Elon Musk’s social media platform.
According to court documents, Twitter has accused the FTC of demanding over 22,000 documents from the company. Twitter is also seeking a stay of deposition for Musk, arguing that he was not a party to the original consent decree and should not be required to give a deposition. Twitter stated that it had tried to arrange a meeting between Musk and Khan on multiple occasions, but Khan insisted on Twitter complying with FTC requests first.
Critics, particularly GOP members, have accused Khan and the FTC of unfairly targeting Musk over his political views. They have also criticized Musk’s content moderation policies on Twitter following his acquisition of the platform. Khan’s agency has alleged that Twitter violated a 10-year-old consent decree regarding the safeguarding of user data.
The FTC reached a consent decree with Twitter in 2011, which was expanded in 2022. The agreement required Twitter to conduct regular security audits and keep the agency informed about how it handles sensitive data. Khan emphasized at a recent hearing that the agency’s focus is on protecting people’s privacy and security and ensuring Twitter’s compliance with the order.
Twitter’s request to terminate the settlement and its criticisms of the FTC’s investigation will now be considered by the San Francisco federal court. The FTC declined to comment on the matter.
FAQs:
Q: What is Twitter seeking to terminate?
A: Twitter is seeking to terminate a $150 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that was reached last year.
Q: Why did the FTC accuse Twitter of violating user privacy?
A: Lina Khan, the head of the FTC, accused Twitter of violating user privacy.
Q: What has Twitter claimed in court documents?
A: Twitter has claimed that it had been subjected to a “burdensome and vexatious enforcement investigation” by the FTC.
Q: Why have Republican lawmakers accused Lina Khan of targeting Elon Musk?
A: Republican lawmakers have accused Lina Khan and the FTC of targeting Elon Musk over his political views and his content moderation policies on Twitter.
Q: What allegations has the FTC made against Twitter?
A: The FTC has alleged that Twitter violated a consent decree regarding the safeguarding of user data.
Q: When was the original consent decree between Twitter and the FTC reached?
A: The original consent decree was reached in 2011, and it was later expanded in 2022.
Q: What has the FTC’s focus been in this matter?
A: The FTC’s focus has been on protecting people’s privacy and security and ensuring Twitter’s compliance with the consent decree.
Twitter seeks federal judge’s intervention to terminate FTC settlement
Twitter has requested a federal court to terminate a $150 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations of user privacy violations. The settlement, which was reached last year, is now being challenged by Twitter after Lina Khan’s agency accused the tech giant of breaching user privacy. Khan, the head of the FTC, faced questioning from Congress on Thursday regarding the agency’s investigation into Twitter.
Twitter alleged in court documents that the FTC had conducted a “burdensome and vexatious enforcement investigation.” Under Khan’s leadership, the FTC has gained a reputation for pursuing antitrust cases aggressively, leading Republican lawmakers to accuse her of having an anti-business agenda specifically targeting Elon Musk’s social media platform.
According to Twitter’s attorneys, a third-party auditor from Ernst & Young claimed that he felt the FTC was attempting to influence the investigation’s outcome even before it began. In its filing with the San Francisco federal court, Twitter argued, “The Court should not permit the FTC to continue invoking judicial power to prosecute an investigation so infected by bias that it has lost any plausible connection to lawful purpose.”
Elon Musk’s Twitter is seeking to terminate the settlement with the FTC that was reached in 2022. Twitter also accused the FTC of demanding the production of over 22,000 documents and requested the court to grant a stay of deposition for Musk. Twitter claimed that since Musk was not a party to the original consent decree, he should not be required to give a deposition.
Twitter expressed its attempts to arrange a meeting between Musk and Khan on multiple occasions. However, Khan reportedly stated that she would only consider a meeting once Twitter complied with the FTC’s requests. GOP members have accused Khan and Democrats of targeting Musk due to his political views, particularly regarding his content moderation policies following his acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion.
The FTC has focused on Twitter’s alleged violations of a previous consent decree from a decade ago that obligated the tech company to protect user data. Twitter reached a consent decree with the FTC in 2011, which was expanded in 2022, requiring the social media platform to conduct regular security audits and keep the agency informed about its data handling practices.
During the hearing, Khan emphasized the agency’s commitment to protecting people’s privacy and security, highlighting that Twitter possesses sensitive data from 150 million Americans, including private messages. The FTC declined to comment on the matter.