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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into Twitter over alleged “bot accounts,” saying the company potentially misled the public about the amount of these profiles. The investigation follows potential Twitter purchaser Elon Musk also going after the company, calling last month for the company to prove their claim that less than five percent of accounts on the social media platform are not real people.
In the official announcement of the Civil Investigative Demand (CID) made by Paxton, it was revealed that Twitter has until June 27 to respond. Twitter will be required to hand out essentially what Musk is asking for as officials are requesting documents regarding how the social media company tracks and monitors bot accounts.
“Texans rely on Twitter’s public statements that nearly all its users are real people. It matters not only for regular Twitter users, but also Texas businesses and advertisers who use Twitter for their livelihoods,” Paxton said. “If Twitter is misrepresenting how many accounts are fake to drive up their revenue, I have a duty to protect
If Twitter misrepresented the amount of spam accounts that are on the site, they will be in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, according to Paxton.
Last month, Musk said he is still committed to his acquisition of Twitter, but has put his efforts on hold until he can discover the truth behind spam accounts.
Paxton doesn’t have the sunniest relationship with social media companies. In February, he announced a lawsuit against Facebook parent company Meta, claiming they are unlawfully collecting biometric data.