FTC Questions Twitter's Ability to Comply with User Data Privacy Restrictions

The FTC is asking Twitter's ability to maintain user privacy. (photo: Twitter @FTC)

JAKARTA - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reached out to Twitter to ask if the social media company still has the resources to comply with the FTC's decision on user data privacy on Thursday, December 15.

Upheaval and mass layoffs at Twitter since it was taken over by Elon Musk have fueled fears that the social media giant may fail to comply with a May 2022 decision by US regulators. At that time Twitter agreed to improve its privacy practices. That decision preceded Musk's takeover of Twitter.

Those concerns prompted the FTC last month to say it was "tracking the latest developments on Twitter with grave concern. "No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decisions," the FTC said at the time, as quoted by Reuters.

In a settlement in May, Twitter agreed to pay $150 million and oversee potential features for privacy and data security concerns. The decision also resolves allegations that Twitter misused personal information, such as phone numbers, for advertising after it notified users that the information would be used for security reasons.

The settlement, prompted by assertions that the company had violated a prior consent decision it reached in 2011 following two data breaches, while Twitter promised it would not mislead users about privacy protections.