Twitter accused of profiting from leaking users’ private information

Twitter is allegedly giving user email addresses and phone numbers to marketers without their permission, which has put the social media giant in more legal trouble.

The business admitted in 2019 that it may have utilised the personal data customers provided in exchange for a security feature for targeted advertising.

Two Twitter users filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the social media platform on Thursday in a federal court in Northern California. Billy Moses and Christina McClellan, both of Texas, claim in the 38-page complaint that they would not have given Twitter their phone numbers and email addresses if they had known that the firm would utilise the information for targeted advertising.

According to CNET, the lawsuit is the most recent repercussion Twitter is facing because of purported privacy infractions. Twitter reportedly violated the Federal Trade Commission Act and a 2011 FTC order by misrepresenting how it will use nonpublic user contact information, and in May, Twitter agreed to pay a $150 million fine.

Users of Twitter have filed lawsuits against the social media site for violating their privacy in other jurisdictions, including Washington.

Twitter urged users to enter their phone numbers and email addresses for two-factor authentication, an additional security measure, but failed to disclose that the information would be used for targeted advertising.

Because marketers could utilise emails and phone numbers to determine a potential customer’s identity and learn about where they reside, what items they buy, where they shop, and other useful information, the lawsuit claims that Twitter made money off of this data without user consent.

Due to the possibility of using phone numbers and email addresses to identify a person, there are additional hazards associated with their disclosure. According to the lawsuit, hackers may attempt to access a user’s social media accounts through email or gather other data in order to commit identity theft.

Additionally, the corporation is said to have broken both its agreement with users and California’s Unfair Competition Law. At the time, Twitter’s privacy policy stated that while it doesn’t provide its partners access to user information like email addresses and phone numbers, it may link the data it supplies to other data if a user gives their approval to that partner.