“We’re Very Sorry This Happened”: Twitter Admits To Using Security Data For Targeted Ads

?stanbul, Turkey - August 28, 2017: Woman using smart phone on a wooden desk. The smart phone is an iPhone 6 plus displaying Twitter application.  iPhone is a touchscreen smartphone developed by Apple Inc.

Twitter has admitted to “inadvertently” using personal data like email addresses and phone numbers for targeted advertising.

The blunder meant that when a user handed over this data for security purposes – eg two-factor authentication – it was instead used by Twitter’s ad services.

“We cannot say with certainty how many people were impacted by this, but in an effort to be transparent, we wanted to make everyone aware,” the company said in a statement.

“No personal data was ever shared externally with our partners or any other third parties.

“As of September 17, we have addressed the issue that allowed this to occur and are no longer using phone numbers or email addresses collected for safety or security purposes for advertising.”

It’s not the first time Twitter has been forced to make such a statement.

Earlier this year, the company admitted to another security issue around mobile ads.

Additionally, the account of company CEO Jack Dorsey was hacked and sent a series of racist tweets in August.




Please login with linkedin to comment

Data Social Media Twitter

Latest News

Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
  • Media

Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm

Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]

Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
  • Advertising

Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth

The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA  Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]