Twitter is the New Poster Child for Failing at Compliance


All companies have to comply with privacy and security laws. They must also comply with any settlements or edicts imposed by regulatory agencies of the U.S. government. 


But Twitter now finds itself in a precarious position and appears to be failing to take its compliance obligations seriously. The case is a “teachable moment” for all organizations, public and private. 


The Musk Factor


Technology visionary and Silicon Valley founder and CEO, Elon Musk, bought social network Twitter in October for $44 billion, taking the formerly public company private. Musk immediately began personally directing many of Twitter’s actions and policies, including changes in moderation and staff. Chaos ensued, and many people — including top company officers — resigned or were fired. 


Twitter’s top compliance leaders all quit. The CISO, chief privacy officer and chief compliance officer all left as well, citing their unwillingness to endorse Twitter’s new direction under Elon Musk. Two of the officers had worked at Twitter for seven years each, and the other just one year. 


A data governance committee responsible for Twitter’s compliance with a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consent decree was disbanded as a result of these resignations, and two other members of the committee were fired.


Twitter has appointed an interim data protection officer. It appears that nobody else is charged with complying with FTC and GDPR requirements. In place of sufficient compliance leadership, Twitter’s legal department is reportedly calling on engineers to “self-certify” compliance. 


Violations risk billions in fines for Twitter. FTC said recently that it is “tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern. No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our con ..

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