Twitter used users’ numbers
Twitter recently announced that it was collecting data regarding its users for research purposes and also for advertising.
The problem was caused by a new advertising program called Tailored Audiences. This program allows businesses to target their customers based on their own marketing lists. These include data such as email addresses and phone numbers.
This would allow advertisers to upload their marketing lists (for example, customers with certain purchasing habits) and match the information on those lists with Twitter accounts. The system would then display relevant ads on Twitter’s more than 280 million users. This particular product had data that was provided by users, which is usually not intended to happen.
Twitter doesn’t know if this happened to all their users, but the company has never shared their personal data with external partners or third-party companies.
On September 17, Twitter announced a workaround to the issue it’s been struggling with in regards to advertising data. With this, they confirm that they won’t be using the same data collection method going forward and will notify users through an email before it happens.
Interestingly, last year Facebook had admitted that it used the phone numbers that users enter for two-factor authentication to show targeted ads. Facebook will always be a popular social media site, but it can sometimes connect you to awful things. So make sure that you are only sharing personal data in the most secure way possible.
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Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
