Not a week goes by without Twitter finding itself in the middle of a scandal. The social network recently acquired by Elon Musk is currently experiencing many moderation problems as well as serial technical problems. But it is because of an older problem that the social network is talking about him again this Christmas time.
Twitter vs GDPR: round 1
The DPC, the Irish personal data protection policeman, which plays the role of EU leader in terms of compliance with the GDPR, has indeed opened an investigation on the practices of the microblogging site. At the heart of the suspicions, an old security breach dating from 2021 which allowed malicious hackers to get their hands on millions of private data, including at least 1.3 million telephone numbers belonging to French users.
“The DPC spoke with Twitter in the context of an intrusion which would be the origin of the leak of personal data and which would raise questions about the company’s compliance with the rules of the GDPR“, indicates the Irish authority. The DPC having not received satisfactory answers from the company of Elon Musk, it judged that”one or more provisions of the GDPR may have been, and/or are infringed with regard to the personal data of Twitter users“. Sufficient justification to open an investigation that could result in a hefty fine for Twitter.
The weakened social network
The European Union has been watching Twitter with suspicion for a few months now. Even before the official takeover of the site by Elon Musk, the declarations of a former employee on the very lax security practices of the company had already made people cringe. The dismissal of the data protection officer and the major cleaning carried out in the company’s offices in Brussels even prompted Thierry Breton to warn Elon Musk.
This investigation for lack of data security will therefore be a test for Twitter sauce Musk. With teams reduced to little grief and European offices deserted, the company’s cooperation with the DPC promises to be complicated to say the least.
