Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo/File Photo
Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
WILMINGTON, Del, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Elon Musk has subpoenaed a Twitter Inc ( TWTR.N ) whistleblower, seeking documents and communications about the company’s spam and alleged security vulnerabilities, as the billionaire fights to ended his deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion. , according to a court filing Monday.
Musk sought information from whistleblower Peiter Zatko primarily about how Twitter measures spam accounts. Musk has said he is walking away from his deal for the company because Twitter misled him and regulators about the true number of spam or bot accounts on the microblogging platform.
But Musk also requested documents and communications related to alleged efforts to conceal security vulnerabilities and Twitter’s “engagement in any illegal activity.”
Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
A Twitter spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A famous hacker popularly known as “Mudge,” Zatko ended a tenure as Twitter’s chief security officer earlier this year and said in his whistleblower complaint made public last week that the company alleged in false way that there was a strong security plan. Read more
A Twitter lawyer told a court hearing last week that Musk’s focus on spam as a way to end his deal to buy the company was “legally irrelevant” because Twitter had always said the number of His spam was only ratings, not binding representations.
The two sides have sued each other and are heading to a five-day trial on October 17. Musk wants out of the deal, and Twitter is asking Delaware Court of Chancery Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick to order it to buy the company for the agreed-upon settlement. $54.20 per share.
Shares of Twitter fell slightly to $40.36 on Monday morning in New York.
Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Editing by Mark Porter and Matthew Lewis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
