Twitter whistleblower alleges ‘egregious deficiencies’ in security measures

‘Twitter is grossly negligent in several areas of information security,’ Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko wrote in an analysis written in February. Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP

Twitter’s former head of security has accused the company of “extreme, egregious deficiencies” in its handling of user information and spam bots in a scathing whistleblower complaint.

Peiter Zatko, a veteran hacker and security expert known as “Mudge”, says the company has deceived users, board members and the federal government about the strength of its security measures. Zatko was hired in 2020 by the Twitter co-founder and then CEO Jack Dorsey to strengthen the company’s security after a mass hack targeted 130 high-profile Twitter accounts.