Nagpur: Twitter Inc agreed to pay $150 million to settle privacy claims that it used private information such as phone numbers and email addresses for targeted advertisements. The company will pay to settle a privacy lawsuit with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The DOJ and FTC charged Twitter with taking phone numbers or email addresses provided to tighten privacy and then allowing advertisers to benefit from the details.
“While Twitter represented to users that it collected their telephone numbers and email addresses to secure their accounts, Twitter failed to disclose that it also used user contact information to aid advertisers in reaching their preferred audiences,” said a court complaint filed by the DoJ.
The offences occurred between May 2013 and September 2019, according to court documents. In addition to monetary compensation, the agreement requires Twitter to improve its compliance practices. According to the complaint, the misrepresentations violated the FTC Act and a 2011 settlement with the agency.
Twitter’s chief privacy officer, Damein Keiran, said in the statement that the company had “Cooperated with the FTC every step of the way.” “In reaching this settlement, we have paid a $150m penalty, and we have aligned with the agency on operational updates and program enhancements to ensure that people’s personal data remains secure and their privacy protected.”
If we flip the page onto some facts, Twitter earns roughly 90% of its $5 billion in annual revenue from advertising. Its dependency on that revenue also drew the attention of Elon Musk, who agreed to buy the company for $44bn.
