US fined for violating confidential data – International

The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday (Wednesday) that Twitter will pay a $ 150 million fine for solving an act that made it easier for advertisers to access their users’ personal data.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the judiciary have accused Twitter of using the phone numbers and email addresses provided by its users to enhance the security of their accounts and allowing advertisers to monetize that data.

“Twitter received user data for security purposes, but used it to target users with ads,” said commission chairwoman Lina Conn.

The personal information that users provide to technology companies and how that data is used causes repeated conflicts between regulators and powerful companies such as meta, Twitter and others. Conflicts over privacy occasionally lead to lawsuits or settlements, but critics call for a complete overhaul of national standards for how individuals’ data is handled in a virtual environment.

Without informing users, Twitter allowed advertisers to target ads using their personal information, the FTC said, working with federal prosecutors to file a lawsuit against the technology company.

Under the agreement, Twitter will agree to pay $ 150 million and carry out other activities, including periodic review of its privacy plan by an independent consultant. The deal, which requires the approval of a judge, will allow Twitter to inform everyone joining the platform by the end of 2019 about the agreement and options to protect their privacy.

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