The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has demanded access to all internal Twitter communications related to Elon Musk’s official takeover, as detailed in a set of 12 letters sent to the company and its lawyers since the October acquisition.
The letters note an investigation related to ongoing concerns that recent staff cuts may compromise Twitter’s protection of users, according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal.
“Protecting consumers’ privacy is exactly what the FTC is supposed to do,” the FTC’s Douglas Farrar said. He also added that the FTC is “conducting a rigorous investigation into Twitter’s compliance with a consent order that came into effect long before Mr. Musk purchased the company.”
The FTC has requested that Twitter “identify all journalists” who were given access to company records, along with all information related to Twitter Blue’s relaunch.
Additionally, the FTC is also looking to depose Musk, as a part of the ongoing investigation.
“We are concerned these staff reductions impact Twitter’s ability to protect consumers’ information,” one FTC official wrote to Twitter’s legal team in a letter dated November 10.
The letters were initially acquired by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, which on Tuesday published certain excerpts from them.
According to the WSJ, the letters appear to indicate that Twitter responded to initial communications from the FTC, though in January the agency said the company had a “troubling pattern of ongoing delay” in the investigation, raising “serious concerns about its compliance.”
