Twitter executives resign under Elon Musk, FTC says it is 'monitoring developments with deep concern'



Twitter, which is undergoing various reforms under Elon Musk, including mass layoffs and the introduction of paid features, has reportedly seen a series of senior executives resigning. As the confusion and unrest continues to spread both within and outside of Twitter, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is closely monitoring the company's actions.

Twitter's Chief Information Security Officer just quit • The Register
https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/10/twitter_ciso_quits/

More key Twitter execs just quit, including the head of trust and safety | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/10/twitter-elon-musk-resignations-yoel-roth-robin-wheeler/

Lee Kisner , who served as Twitter's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), tweeted on November 10, 2022 that he was resigning, saying, 'I have made the difficult decision to leave Twitter. I have had the opportunity to work with great people and am proud of my privacy, security, and IT teams and the work we've done.'



According to the foreign media The Register, Chief Privacy Officer Damien Kieran and Chief Compliance Officer Marianne Fogarty have also resigned from Twitter. Kieran tweeted the hashtag ' #oneteam ' hinting at his departure from Twitter.



In addition, Yoel Roth , head of trust and safety, and Robin Wheeler , head of sales, have also reportedly left Twitter. TechCrunch noted that Roth had been a vocal supporter of Twitter's moderation efforts under the new structure, calling this a 'particularly shocking departure.'

Wheeler and Ross recently hosted a Twitter space where they invited Musk to talk about the company's future plans. TechCrunch points out that Musk's erratic behavior, mass firings, and the successive resignations of executives could significantly undermine the trust of advertisers and regulators.

Elon Musk wants to turn Twitter into a 'payment service,' and will it accept virtual currencies such as Dogecoin?



It has also been reported that if Musk continues with his drastic reforms of Twitter, he may be in violation of the FTC's order.

Twitter lawyer warns that Elon Musk is putting company at risk of billions in FTC fines - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23451198/twitter-ftc-elon-musk-lawyer-changes-fine-warning

FTC tracking developments at Twitter with 'deep concern' after CISO resigns - The Record by Recorded Future
https://therecord.media/ftc-tracking-developments-at-twitter-with-deep-concern-after-ciso-resigns/

FTC warns 'no CEO or company is above the law' if Twitter shirks privacy order | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/10/ftc-warns-no-ceo-or-company-is-above-the-law-if-twitter-shirks-privacy-order/

In May 2022, Twitter agreed to a $150 million fine to the FTC for misusing personal information, but many of the executives who resigned on November 10 were in charge of privacy and security, and played important roles in coordinating with the FTC. The simultaneous departure of these executives could be a troubling issue for Twitter, which has just settled with the FTC.

An FTC spokesperson told foreign media, 'We have been following Twitter's latest developments with deep concern. No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must comply with our consent decrees.'

In addition, overseas media The Verge obtained a memo posted by an employee of the privacy team on Twitter's Slack channel. The memo states, 'Elon has indicated that his only priority with Twitter users is how to monetize them. I don't think he cares about human rights activists, dissidents, users in regions where we can't monetize, or the global town square users that Twitter has built over the years and that we all love,' sharply criticizing Musk's stance.

The employee alleges that the company's usual privacy and security reviews were ignored in the Blue revamp, and that the review team's recommendations were not implemented before launch. Twitter's former outside counsel, Riana Pfefferkorn, points out that a 2011 FTC consent order requires Twitter to conduct privacy reviews before making any changes to its products.



The employee who posted the memo said he heard Twitter's legal chief Alex Spiro say, 'Musk is the kind of guy who puts rockets into space and isn't afraid of the FTC.' Musk's willingness to take risks means Twitter engineers are being forced to take personal, professional and legal risks. Employees also argue that a multibillion-dollar fine from the FTC would threaten Twitter's survival and have a negative impact on users.

The memo also mentioned that Musk has banned remote work at Twitter in principle and requires employees to be in the office at least 40 hours a week. This is a fundamental change to the employment contract, and he said that Twitter employees have no obligation to return to the office. He also suggested that employees could take paid leave en masse in protest.

Elon Musk says 'Half of revenue needs to come from subscriptions,' bans employees from working remotely, makes Twitter Blue a 'top priority' - GIGAZINE



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