Elon Musk's Deposition, Internal Twitter Communications Sought By FTC: WSJ

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has reportedly demanded Elon Musk's deposition, as well as his internal communications at Twitter, as a part of a probe into the social media platform he heads.

What Happened: The FTC sent more than two dozen letters to Twitter and its attorneys and as a part of its demands asked that the platform “identify all journalists” who were given access to company records and also furnish information on the launch of the new Twitter Blue subscription, The Wall Street Journal reported. The letters were obtained by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee that later published excerpts in a staff report. 

The report from the House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government reportedly said some of what FTC had asked for was relevant but other parts were excessive.

“There is no logical reason why the FTC, on the basis of user privacy, needs to analyze all of Twitter's personnel decisions. And there is no logical reason why the FTC needs every single internal Twitter communication about Elon Musk,” said the report, according to the Journal.

Twitter and FTC did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

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Why It Matters: The Twitter CEO commented on the development by calling it a “shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth!”

A shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

The FTC has been questioning Twitter if the company has the resources to comply with a privacy consent decree, reported Reuters, citing a person familiar with the matter.

If Twitter doesn’t abide by the agreement — related to a settlement of allegations that the company misused private information — the FTC has the authority to impose fines that may run into billions of dollars.

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