Twitter misled U.S. regulators on hackers, spam, whistleblower says

A Twitter logo is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco, California, U.S., April 25, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc misled federal regulators about its defenses against hackers and spam accounts, the social media company's former security chief Peiter Zatko said in a whistleblower complaint.

In an 84-page complaint, Zatko, a famed hacker widely known as "Mudge," alleged Twitter falsely claimed it had a solid security plan, according to documents relayed by congressional investigators. Twitter's shares fell 7.3% to close at $39.86.