Twitter whistleblower to testify before Senate Judiciary Committee

Twitter's former chief security officer is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month following the public release of his allegations that the company repeatedly failed to protect its users' data.

The Senate Judiciary Committee announced a hearing on Sept. 13 featuring the testimony of Peiter Zatko, whose whistleblower complaint made public on Tuesday alleges "egregious" privacy and security violations at the company.

Taking action: The hearing is the first of likely numerous investigations expected by Congress in the coming months, as lawmakers probe the implications of the cybersecurity vulnerability claims Zatko — a renowned cybersecurity expert — made against his former employer.

"Mr. Zatko’s allegations of widespread security failures and foreign state actor interference at Twitter raise serious concerns. If these claims are accurate, they may show dangerous data privacy and security risks for Twitter users around the world,” Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a joint statement.

Twitter has called the allegations “riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies."

Midterms are looming: The Judiciary Committee's hearing could be the first of many. House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), for example, said he has concerns about how the security allegations could impact the November midterms.

“Our adversaries have a history of exploiting social media to disrupt our elections — and with the midterms only three months away, there is no time to waste,” he said Tuesday.

Lax security: Among numerous allegations, Zatko claimed Twitter violated a 2011 settlement agreement with the FTC by exposing users' personal data. The consent agreement remains enforceable by the FTC, with each violation resulting in a fine of up to $16,000.

Zatko filed his complaint in July with congressional committees including Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission.