U.S. Senators Menendez, Booker urge for the FTC to investigate Twitter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.), joined a group of colleagues today in calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct vigorous oversight and enforcement of Twitter’s consent decree and to investigate potential violations of consumer protection laws. In May, Twitter Inc. agreed to pay $150 million in civil penalties and to implement robust compliance measures to protect users’ data privacy after allegations it violated its consent decree with the FTC and failed to safeguard non-public user information.

“We write regarding Twitter’s serious, willful disregard for the safety and security of its users, and encourage the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate any breach of Twitter’s consent decree or other violations of our consumer protection laws,” wrote the senators in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan.

According to recent reports, under Elon Musk’s leadership, the company has dismissed key staff, limited internal privacy reviews, and required engineers to take on legal liability for new changes, in an effort to prioritize profits and cut costs.

Senior Twitter executives responsible for the platform’s privacy, cybersecurity, and integrity have also resigned in the past days, raising further alarm.

“We urge the Commission to vigorously oversee its consent decree with Twitter and to bring enforcement actions against any breaches or business practices that are unfair or deceptive, including bringing civil penalties and imposing liability on individual Twitter executives where appropriate,” the senators siad. “As you recently noted in Senate testimony, ‘no CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees.'”

Joining Sens. Menendez and Booker in signing the letter were Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.)