Elon Musk Subpoenas Twitter Whistleblower; Seeks Information on Bots, Security

Elon Musk claims that he was misled about the true number of spam or bot accounts on Twitter during the buyout deal.

By Richa Sharma | Updated: 30 August 2022 11:37 IST

Elon Musk Subpoenas Twitter Whistleblower; Seeks Information on Bots, Security

Photo Credit: Reuters

Twitter and Musk have been engaged in a legal battle ever since July

Highlights

Elon Musk earlier subpoenaed former Twitter head Jack Dorsey
Peiter Zatko recently raised shocking allegations on Twitter
Musk, Twitter will be heading for a five-day trial starting October 17

Elon Musk has subpoenaed a Twitter whistleblower in his ongoing legal battle with the social media platform to end the $44 billion (nearly Rs. 3,51,300) buyout agreement, according to a recent court filing. The SpaceX and Tesla head has sought documents and information on the Twitter's spam accounts and alleged security vulnerabilities on the microblogging site. This is Musk's latest move, following his attempts to seek communication on bots from other executives related to Twitter, including head and former CEO Jack Dorsey.

According to court filings, reported by Reuters on Monday, the billionaire has subpoenaed whistleblower Peiter Zatko, who recently raised shocking allegations on Twitter. Zatko, a former head of Twitter's security, will be asked about how the microblogging site measures spam accounts.

Musk is seeking documents to reveal Twitter's alleged attempts to hide security weaknesses and compliance with a 2011 Federal Trade Commission agreement. According to the billionaire's claims, he was misled about the true number of spam or bot accounts on the social media platform.

Twitter and Musk have been engaged in a legal battle ever since the billionaire announced to walk away from their deal. Twitter sued Musk after his announcement, followed by his countersuit against the microblogging site.

Both sides will be heading for a five-day trial starting October 17. While Musk wants to move out of the deal, Twitter has requested the court to order the billionaire to buy the company for the agreed amount.

Missed Apple's WWDC 2022? We discuss every major announcement on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.