The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other public interest organizations have urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reject X Corp's petition to modify its consent order, citing concerns over the company's data handling practices and potential risks to consumer privacy [1]. The petition, filed by X Corp, seeks to modify the consent order that was issued in 2022, which requires the company to maintain certain safeguards to protect consumer data [2]. However, the EFF and other organizations argue that the petition fails to demonstrate that the conditions of fact or law have changed as to require such action, and that the termination of the order would undermine the Commission's enforcement authority [3]. The organizations also point out that X Corp's current practices, including its use of artificial intelligence (AI) development, pose a risk to consumer privacy and data security, and that the company's arguments about other legal frameworks, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), are not sufficient to justify the modification of the consent order [4].

The FTC should exercise its authority to protect consumer privacy and data security, and reject X Corp's petition to modify the consent order. The Commission has a long record of defending consumers against threats to privacy and data security, and it should continue to do so in this case [5]. The EFF and other organizations have also pointed out that the petition is procedurally improper and legally unsound, and that the company's arguments about the First Amendment are misplaced [6]. The Commission should reject the petition and continue to maintain its privacy oversight of X Corp, one of the largest social media platforms in the world.

Sources

  1. EFF letter to FTC on X consent order (2 July 2026) [pdf]
  2. FTC Charges Twitter with Deceptively Using Account Security Data to Sell Targeted Ads
  3. Order Denying Petition to Reopen and Vacate or Modify FTC Consent Order, In the Matter of Support King, LLC (SpyPhone.com), Docket No. C-4756 (Dec. 5, 2025)
  4. Petition To Reopen and Set Aside or, in the Alternative, Modify Decision and Order, Twitter, Inc., Docket No. C-4316 (May 15, 2026)
  5. FTC Accepts Final Settlement with Twitter for Failure to Safeguard Personal Information
  6. Concurring Statement of Commissioner Christine S. Wilson and Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips, Twitter Inc., Matter No. 2023062 (May 25, 2022)