Whistleblower accuses Twitter of hiding major flaws

Washington: Twitter misled users and US regulators about “extreme, egregious” gaps in its online protections, the platform’s ex-security chief claimed in whistleblower testimony that could impact the court fight over Elon Musk’s buyout bid.

Peiter Zatko’s complaint, which was published Tuesday by US media, also accused Twitter of significantly underestimating the number of fake and spam accounts — a crucial point in Musk’s argument for trying to cancel his $44 billion deal to own the platform.

Zatko’s filing to authorities including market watchdog Securities and Exchange Commission accuses Twitter of “negligence, willful ignorance, and threats to national security and democracy.”