John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 04.13.2023 01:Apr AM EDT

House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas FTC for Twitter Investigation Documents

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)may have asked more than enough questions on Twitter.

A Republican-led committee recently subpoenaed the FTC after it accused the government agency of asking too many demands of Elon Musk's Twitter.

The FTC was investigating Twitter's capability to still protect user data following Musk's takeover in late 2022.

FTC's Subpoena Details

The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the FTC on Apr. 12 for documents regarding its ongoing investigation of Twitter's privacy and cybersecurity concerns, per The Wall Street Journal. The requests came after the committee repeatedly asked the government agency to hand over the documents it requested voluntarily but to no avail.

Alongside the subpoena comes a letter from Committee Chair Jim Jordan, a Republican representative from Ohio, accusing the FTC's Chair, Lina Khan, of making "inappropriate and burdensome demands" of Twitter around the time Elon Musk acquired the company, per CNBC. According to the representative's letter to the FTC Chair, the agency's responses to the committee's past requests for information about the investigation were "woefully insufficient," per The Verge.

Rep. Jordan authorized the subpoena the FTC received from the committee. He also said in his letter that the FTC's earlier response on linking its inquiry into Twitter to a privacy-related order it's tasked with enforcing was ignoring other aspects of the committee's questions about the government agency's inquiry.

The privacy-related order the FTC was tasked with enforcing is a 2022 FTC order which Twitter signed in 2011 to settle allegations that it violated promises to protect user privacy, per the Committee's official website.

In addition to the probing, Twitter had to create a "comprehensive privacy and information security" program to protect users, though its ability to protect users has been put into question ever since Elon Musk's takeover of the company.

Despite the committee's requests, Khan previously told Rep. Jordan in a Mar. 27 letter that FTC investigations are confidential, and that the agency will continue to discharge its obligations and enforce the law without fear or favor

Regardless, FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said that the government agency offered to brief the committee on its inquiry but that it hadn't taken the FTC's offer yet. They also mentioned that the FTC respects the oversight the Committee provides and that it didn't have to issue a subpoena for the FTC to cooperate with government oversight.

A Political Cold War

The subpoena is the latest example of Rep. Jordan's targeting of law enforcement agencies he accuses of abusing authority to allegedly do favors for political allies, especially for Musk. The Chief Twit reportedly earned Republicans' favor after he reversed Twitter's ban on Donald Trump's account and the releasing of the Twitter Files.

The FTC's probe could pose a risk for Twitter during a time when it seeks to become profitable once again. If the FTC found the company to be violating the settlement agreement it signed in 2011, Twitter could lose $150 million in fines and its ability to release new products and features without government oversight, along with other serious penalties.

Rep. Jordan explained that what he was doing was responding to the Democrats' weaponization of federal agencies.