CHINA’S INTELLIGENT SERVICES ON
THE PAYROLL INSIDE TWITTER.
MARIA: JOINING ME NOW
COMPETITIVE INSTITUTE DIRECTOR
OF CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY AND
INNOVATION JESSICA MELLUGIN.
YOU HEARD TESTIMONY.
THE FBI INFORMED TWITTER THAT AT
LEAST ONE CHINESE AGENT WAS
WORKING AT THE COMPANY.
WE ALSO KNOW HOW THE FBI TOLD
SOCIAL MEDIA TO IGNORE OR SENSOR
THE STORY ON HUNTER BIDEN, YOUR
THOUGHTS?
>> YOUR THOUGHTS IS MUCH BETTER
USE OF THE FBI’S TIME TO BE
IDENTIFIED FOREIGN AGENTS
WORKING FOR HOSTILE GOVERNMENTS
INSIDE U.S. COMPANIES RATHER
THAN TELLING THOSE COMPANIES
WHAT THEY SHOULDN’T OR SHOULD BE
ALLOWED HAVING AMERICAN SAY ON
THEIR PLATFORMS.
I THINK THOSE ARE THE GOOD AND
BAD ASPECTS OF THE FBI THAT WE
ARE LEARNING ABOUT THE LAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS IN THE TECH
SPACE.
BUT THIS HEARING YESTERDAY WAS A
MIX BAG, SOME OF IT WAS SORT OF
COMPLAINING OR MAKING ALLEGATIONS THAT TWITTER IS SORT
ALLEGATIONS THAT TWITTER IS SORT
OF A SHO TEDLY-RUN COMPANY AND
THEY HAVEN’T BEEN DOING A GOOD
JOB AND IN THEIR AGREEMENT THEY
SAID WE ARE GOING TO WORK ON IT
AND DO BETTER.
IN VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT,
THAT’S A LEGAL PROBLEM FOR THE
COMPANY AND A BIG DEAL AS ARE
FOREIGN AGENTS WORKING INSIDE OF
U.S. COMPANIES.
SOME OF THE REVELATIONS
YESTERDAY I DON’T THINK A LOT OF
AMERICANS ARE SURPRISED AS
APPARENTLY MANY U.S. SENATORS
ARE THAT THESE APPS ON OUR PHONE
HAVE OUR PHONE NUMBERS AND
SOMETIMES KNOW WHERE WE ARE WITH
OUR PHONES AND BASICALLY HAVE A
LOT OF INFORMATION BUT SOME OF
THAT INFORMATION IS IN THE
PUBLIC RECORD.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE USED TO CALL
THIS A PHONEBOOK, WE HAVE TO
SORT THROUGH WHAT’S A REAL SCARE
HERE AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED AND WHAT’S JUST SORT
OF A LEARNING CURVE FOR ALL OF
US ABOUT WHAT THE COMPANIES KNOW
ABOUT US?
>> LOOK, CHRISTOPHER WRAY HAS
BEEN TELLING US FOR YEARS ABOUT
THE THREAT OF CHINA AND THE
SURVEILLANCE CAMPAIGNS THAT ARE
UNDERWAY.
I JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE
DOING ABOUT IT.
HE KEEPS SAYING IT.
OBVIOUSLY THEY TOLD TWITTER THAT
THERE COULD BE SPIES ON THE
PAYROLL BUT WHAT SHOULD THEY BE
DOING ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, I MEAN, LISTEN, I THINK
TWITTER HAS EVERY INCENTIVE TO
NOT WANT THAT SORT OF THING IN
THEIR COMPANY.
THAT’S DANGEROUS AND THAT WOULD
BE A HUGE PROBLEM FOR THEM IN
TERMS OF TRUST WITH THEIR USERS,
YOU KNOW, BUT, OF COURSE, THE
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM IS TIKTOK,
THAT’S A CHINESE COMPANY.
IF YOU’RE WORRIED WHAT ONE GUY
IN TWITTER CAN SEE AND WHAT WE
ARE ALL DOING ON THE PLATFORM,
YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT
TWITTER WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE BY
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AT ANY
TIME AS ALL COMPANIES THERE.
MARIA: THAT’S RIGHT.
TWITTER SHAREHOLDERS MEANWHILE
APPROVED 44 BILLION-DOLLAR
TAKEOVER DEAL THAT ELON MUSK IS
NOW TRYING TO GET OUT OF.
MUSK ALSO CLAIMED ON TWITTER
YESTERDAY THAT HIS TWEETS ARE
BEING SUPPRESSED.
JESSICA, WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN
FOR THE LAWSUIT THAT IS SET TO
START ON OCTOBER 17TH, HOW DO
YOU THINK THIS PLAYS OUT?
>> THE SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS THAT
MUSK IS MAKING AGAINST TWITTER
TO GET HIM OUT OF THE DEAL
AREN’T THE SAME AS THE ONES WE
SAW FROM THE WHISTLEBLOWER BUT
THE JUDGE IN THAT CASE HAS
ALLOWED THEM TO BE ENTERED INTO
THE CASE.
SO WE WILL SEE -- AGAIN, THINGS
THAT ARE ACTUALLY LEGAL MATTER A
LOT MORE WITH PROBLEMS WITH THE
COMPANY THAT MAYBE MUSK SHOULD
HAVE LOOKED INTO DOING DUE
DILIGENCE BEFORE HE AGREED BUT
TWITTER CAN GO FORWARD AND PUSH
BACK ON ELON.
IT’S SOPHISTICATED COURT THERE.
THEY DEAL WITH THE ISSUES ALL OF
THE TIME.
I THINK THEY’LL BE A LOT OF
SUBSTANCE THAT COMES OUT OF
THAT.
WE WILL LEARN A LOT ABOUT
TWITTER AND A LOT ABOUT THE DEAL
AND AS YOU SAID THAT START IN
EARNEST IN OCTOBER.
MARIA: META, TWITTER, YOUTUBE,
TIKTOK EXPECTED TO TESTIFY TODAY
BEFORE THE SENATE HOMELAND
SECURITY COMMITTEE JESSICA.
CLEARLY THE SURVEILLANCE
CAMPAIGNS WILL COME UP NOW THAT
WE KNOW THE FBI WARNED TWITTER
AT LEAST AND PERHAPS OTHER
COMPANIES ABOUT FOREIGN
SURVEILLANCE.
WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TO COME
OUT OF THIS HEARING?
>> WELL, I MEAN, I’M HOPEFUL
THAT WHAT COMES OUT OF IT IS A
MORE DIRECT CONVERSATION ABOUT
THE ISSUE THAT AMERICANS ARE
REALLY WORRIED ABOUT WITH THESE
TECH COMPANIES THAT INVOLVES
SOME AMOUNT OF PRIVACY CONCERNS
BUT LARGELY ABOUT THE SPEECH
STUFF AND IF THE GOVERNMENT, OUR
GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN INFLUENCING
THESE PLATFORMS TO SUPPRESS
AMERICAN SPEECH, THAT’S A HUGE
PROBLEM.
THAT SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED AND
THAT’S A VIOLATION OF THE FIRST
AMENDMENT.
IF THAT’S WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING,
THAT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH.
BUT I WILL SAY I’M A LITTLE SKEPTICAL THE TECH INCIDENTS
SKEPTICAL THE TECH INCIDENTS
THATINCIDHEARINGSHAVE NOT BEEN S
LET’S SEE IF THEY WITH KEEP IT
ON TRACK AND HAVE A FRUITFUL