A US Federal Trade Commission official said the agency is “doing its job to protect Americans’ privacy” on Wednesday after facing scrutiny from Republicans over the the agency’s ongoing investigation into Twitter Inc.
(Bloomberg) — A US Federal Trade Commission official said the agency is “doing its job to protect Americans’ privacy” on Wednesday after facing scrutiny from Republicans over the the agency’s ongoing investigation into Twitter Inc.
The statement marks a rare public rebuke from an agency that has typically held back from responding to criticism about its investigations.
FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in a statement that “cherry-picked portions” of communications between the FTC and Twitter, published by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, have created confusion around why the agency is investigating the company.
Twitter is currently under a consent decree with the FTC, meaning the agency is charged with conducting oversight of the company’s privacy practices. The FTC deepened its investigation into Twitter after it was acquired last year by billionaire Elon Musk, who dismissed thousands of employees. Many of the layoffs under Musk have hit employees charged with protecting privacy and security on Twitter, sparking several rounds of inquiries from the FTC.
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday published the requests from the FTC and accused the agency of “harassing” Twitter.
“The timing, scope, and frequency of the FTC’s demands to Twitter suggest a partisan motivation to its action,” the House Judiciary Republicans wrote in the report.
But Farrar pushed back on any allegations that the communication was improper or unusual.
“The Commission regularly uses so-called ‘demand letters’ to get information about how a company is or is not complying with an order,” Farrar said. “FTC investigations are straightforward and nonpolitical. They are to ensure that companies are following the law, including protecting people’s privacy.”
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