Elon Musk seeks to modify FTC audits related to X's data handling

Elon Musk is attempting to modify a data-privacy order imposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shortly before he took over Twitter, now known as X. The FTC order includes restrictions on X's data use for 20 years, mandates regular independent audits, and grants the agency the authority to request documents to ensure compliance. This action followed Twitter's voluntary disclosure of a coding error that allowed phone numbers and email addresses shared for two-factor authentication to be used for targeted advertising from May 2013 to September 2019. In a settlement reached before Musk's acquisition in 2022, Twitter agreed to pay $150 million and to allow the FTC to monitor its data-handling practices until 2042 to protect user privacy.