The Federal Trade Commission plans to depose Elon Musk as part of an investigation into Twitter, the social media platform that Musk bought for $44 billion last year, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The FTC last year deepened its investigation into Twitter’s privacy and data security practices in the wake of the company’s takeover by Musk, Bloomberg reported last year. Musk’s deposition would signal an escalation of the investigation.
The FTC has hit Twitter with a document request, asking the company to turn over communications related to recent layoffs, Musk’s leadership and other topics, according to congressional reports. The agency also requested documents related to the so-called “Twitter Files,” a project in which Musk gave outside journalists access to internal Twitter information.
Information about the investigation comes from a report released Tuesday by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which provides insight into the FTC’s response to Musk’s Twitter takeover.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the FTC’s plan.
“Shameful case of weaponization of government agencies for political purposes and suppression of the truth!” Musk posted on Twitter Tuesday.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FTC declined to comment.
The FTC in the three months after Musk’s acquisition sent more than a dozen letters to Twitter. House Judiciary Committee Republicans in their report claimed that the outreach showed that the agency was “trying to harass” the company.
Twitter is currently under a consent decree with the FTC, meaning the agency must monitor the company’s privacy practices. Many of Musk’s layoffs have hit employees charged with protecting privacy and security on social media platforms.
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