Twitter fined millions for using phone numbers for targeted advertising

Twitter to pay a $150 million fine for using users’ phone numbers for targeted ads. The fine was imposed by the Federal Trade Commission in the United States.

Twitter has used the phone number users provide to secure their accounts to show targeted ads to the affected users. That’s why the FTC a $150 million fine on. According to the authority’s chairman Lina M. Khan, “Twitter obtained the phone numbers under the pretext of making users’ accounts more secure, but used the data to show targeted advertisements to users,” the chairman said.

In 2019, it was revealed that Twitter was using email addresses and phone numbers for advertisements. The company has since discontinued this practice. According to the research, the phone numbers of 140 million users have been unlawfully used for targeted advertisements. The company initially declined to say how many users were affected.

Twitter has announced its cooperation with the FTC and to pay the fine† In addition, the FTC has imposed a number of other requirements on Twitter. The platform will be required to offer other authentication methods that do not require users to provide a phone number. The company must also inform the affected users.