Whistleblower says Indian govt agent was placed inside Twitter to give govt advantage in negotiations

Twitter's former security chief Peiter "Mudge" Zatko has alleged that the social media company knowingly allowed foreign governments, including India, to place "agents" inside the company. In his testimony to the US Senate on Tuesday, Zatko claimed that these agents were placed by the Chinese and Indian governments, who might have accessed sensitive data about users.

Twitter, which is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has also been accused by Zatko of weak security and prioritising spam accounts over growth. The company had denied these claims.

As reported by the news agency Associated Press, Zatko said that the Indian agent was placed to "understand the negotiations" between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Twitter about new social media restrictions. The agent also allegedly oversaw how well those negotiations were going between these two parties. It reported that Zatko was told about a potential agent from the Chinese intelligence service MSS, or the Ministry of State Security at the company, a week before his firing.

In a statement to the news agency, Twitter said its hiring process is "independent of any foreign influence" and access to data is managed through a host of measures.

Zatko's appearance before the US Senate comes weeks after his revelation about the security practices at Twitter. In his complaint last month to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission, he claimed that the company was running outdated software, which posed a threat to users' data and security. He has also alleged that Twitter prioritises user growth over reducing spam profiles as the company executives are eligible to win individual bonuses of as much as $10 million for showing daily user growth. These claims may aid Musk, who's trying to evade a $44 billion deal with the social media giant. A trial is scheduled for October 17, where the former Twitter security chief is said to appear.

At the time of his complaint, Twitter labelled Zatko's revelations as a "false narrative." The company highlighted that he was fired for "ineffective leadership and poor performance".