Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) boss Elon Musk has issued a subpoena to a Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) whistleblower as he fights to end his agreement to buy the social media group for US$44bn.
In his request for information from whistleblower Peiter Zatko, Twitter's former security chief, Musk mainly sought information regarding Twitter's way of measuring spam accounts.
In July, due to what he termed was Twitter's misrepresentation of the true number of spam or bot accounts on its platform, Musk said he was walking away from the deal.
Last week, Zatko accused Twitter of “extreme, egregious deficiencies" in its handling of user information and spam bots, revealing he had filed a complaint last month with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice, as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claiming that he had warned colleagues that half the company’s servers were running out-of-date and with vulnerable software.
Musk has requested documents and communications from Zatko related to alleged attempts to hide security vulnerabilities, compliance with a 2011 FTC agreement, and "Twitter's engagement in any unlawful activity".
A subpoena was served on Zatko by Musk's attorneys, demanding that he produce any documents or messages regarding the impact of spam and false accounts on Twitter's activity, dating back to January 2019.
Zatko also was required to answer questions for Musk's attorneys on September 9.
Twitter has won some early battles in the case, including a fast-track trial date, and its stock has risen as analysts have predicted that the platform will prevail over Musk.
Earlier, attempts were being made by Musk to resolve Twitter bot numbers with more technical assistance.
Musk also has called on Twitter's former boss Jack Dorsey to support his claims that the social media company hasn't been honest about fake accounts.