Twitter will pay $150 million for using peoples security phone numbers to target ads

Twitter will pay $150 million to settle a privacy lawsuit with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The settlement, announced today, covers a complaint that Twitter deceptively used members’ email addresses and phone numbers for targeted advertising. On top of the fine, Twitter must also accept audits of its data privacy program among other restrictions.

The legal filing claims that Twitter misrepresented its policies to users between 2013 and 2019, violating both the FTC Act and an order from a previous settlement in 2011. The company encouraged users to add a phone number or email address to enable security measures like two-factor authentication. In reality, however, Twitter also incorporated that...

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