Quote · This Week in Tech (Audio)
TWiT 1091: But You Didn't Move the Bodies - Surprising Supreme Court Move on Geofence Warrants
Where this was said
X Petitions FTC to Drop Privacy Oversight, World Cup Surveillance, and Data Privacy Legislation
At 20:54 · chapter starts 20:00
Leo walks through Twitter's original sin: a coding error caused the platform to share users' two-factor authentication phone numbers — given for security purposes — with advertisers. The FTC imposed ongoing audits. Now rebranded as X, Elon Musk's company is arguing those obligations shouldn't apply anymore because it's technically a different company. Lisa Schmeiser delivers the episode's most quotable line: 'You moved the headstones but you didn't move the bodies' [1] — Lisa Schmeiser "That is a real poltergeist. You move the body tombstones, but you didn't move the bodies." 22:41 , comparing it to the horror movie Poltergeist. Leo then raises the $1 billion World Cup security buildout in the US, noting the facial recognition infrastructure almost certainly will not be dismantled after the games end. Finally, he covers the Health and Location Data Protection Act, a bill by Senators Warren and Scanlon that would ban data broker sales and give the FTC $1 billion for enforcement — with mixed but ultimately hopeful panel reactions.
Twitter was caught sharing users' two-factor authentication phone numbers with advertisers. The FTC imposed costly ongoing audits. Now X argues it shouldn't be bound by those obligations because it's a different company with a different name — while keeping all the same user data.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup spent $1 billion on security systems including facial recognition cameras that are unlikely to be removed after the games end.
