EU Investigating Twitter Over Data Breach of 5.4 Million Users Prior to Elon Musk's Involvement

Elon Musk's Twitter Inc. risks massive fines after the European Union's top privacy regulator opened an investigation into reports of a suspected data breach that compromised the personal details of 5.4 million users last year.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Friday it had decided to open an investigation into reports that one or more datasets containing personal user information had been made available online.

According to the agency, approximately 5.4 million Twitter users worldwide were affected by the leak of personal data. The data sets reportedly contained Twitter IDs, email addresses, and/or telephone numbers of the affected individuals.

The Irish Data Protection Commission has said that it believes Twitter may have violated one or more provisions of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The Commission is the lead regulator for some of Silicon Valley's biggest tech firms that have established a presence in the EU. Under GDPR, it has the authority to impose fines of up to 4% of a company's annual revenue.

As scrutiny of Twitter's practices intensifies following Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover, concerns are mounting about the social media giant's ability to protect user data. This is especially worrisome in light of recent suspected breaches, as key roles responsible for compliance with regulations have been eliminated.

Europe has been quick to demand that Twitter keeps up with its regulatory demands, from data protection to checking on hate speech. Hours after billionaire Musk closed his deal for the company, European Commissioner Thierry Breton sent a warning to the new owner, calling on the company to “fly by our rules.”

Since Musk took over in October, he has warned that Twitter is at risk of bankruptcy and instituted a "hardcore" work environment after a drastic cutback in staff. In less than two months, he has spooked advertisers, alienated Twitter's most ardent creators and turned the service from a forum for news discussion into a trending topic in itself.

Twitter representatives have not yet responded to an emailed request for comment. However, the Irish regulator has said that it has been in contact with Twitter on this matter and has received a number of responses.

This week, the company resolved a dispute with a top executive who was shut out of the firm's IT system after failing to respond within hours to a company-wide email from Musk. The email asked staff if they were onboard with the new "Twitter 2.0."

Musk's shake-up has led to the closure of Tesla's Brussels office and the dissolution of its communications department in Germany, according to the former head of the unit who sued for unfair dismissal in Germany.

The Irish regulator last month fined Meta Platforms Inc. €265 million ($281 million) for failing to prevent the leak of the personal data of more than half a billion users of its Facebook service. Although it has been criticized for being slow to act, the regulator took decisive action in this case.