Twitter admits it used two-factor phone numbers and emails for serving targeted ads

guest · Oct 8, 2019

Twitter admits it used two-factor phone numbers and emails for serving targeted ads
October 8, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/08/t...-numbers-and-emails-for-targeted-advertising/

Twitter has said it used phone numbers and email addresses, provided by users to set up two-factor authentication on their accounts, to serve targeted ads.
In a disclosure Tuesday, the social media giant said it did not know how many users were impacted.

The issue stemmed from the company’s tailored audiences program, which allows companies to target advertisements against their own marketing lists, such as phone numbers and email addresses.
The issue was addressed as of September 17, the disclosure said.

Twitter finds itself in the same boat as Facebook, which last year was caught using users’ phone numbers and email addresses, which they gave Facebook for securing their accounts, for targeted advertising.
For its part, Twitter said its ad targeting was “an error” and apologized.
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Twitter: Personal information and ads on Twitter

Reality · Oct 9, 2019

Precisely why -
A/ I don't use these creeps anyways and
B/ if I did, I wouldn't use phone numbers for 2FA

deBoetie · Oct 9, 2019

You could smell the stench - from this company and others - that they were desperate to have your phone#, for 2FA, honest.

Despite the fact that it's one of the worse options for 2FA.

Just say no.

plat · Oct 9, 2019

Shouldn't this be federally investigated? This is Facebook-sleazy. Twitter et al aren't sacred except in their over-stuffed minds.

I use my phone for 2FA for my utility co., dummy email for others. Sad to see trust in security measures like this eroding because of these bad, bad apples. Throw the book at them, please.

guest · Oct 9, 2019

Never Trust a Platform to Put Privacy Ahead of Profit
October 9, 2019
https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-two-factor-advertising/

At this point, it's painfully unsurprising to hear new examples of tech companies misusing customer data. But a particularly shameful version of the story has become increasingly common: services pulling phone numbers and other data used for two-factor authentication into their marketing databases.

Bugs and mistakes happen, but when it comes to misuse of information users provide for security services, it's especially obvious that companies aren't prioritizing user privacy and security ahead of their business goals.

"If you wanted to secure the phone numbers you’d just put them in a database table called '2FA numbers don’t sell to marketers,'" says Matthew Green, a cryptographer at Johns Hopkins University.
Receiving two-factor codes through SMS texts to your phone number isn't the most secure way to set up the protection in the first place, because texts can be intercepted.
But any two-factor is better than no two-factor. More importantly, you shouldn't have to make security decisions based on fear that massive tech companies can't handle basic data siloing.
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This isn't the first time this type of violation has occurred, and it won't be the last. But let it be a reminder that every time you give your data to a company, no matter what they say it's for, it could always end up being used for other purposes—specifically, other profit-driven purposes
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Reality · Oct 9, 2019

But any two-factor is better than no two-factor.
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Disagree with that. I'm actually better off by NOT handing over my phone number to the likes of these thieves. Surely the admission of doing what they did says it all! and lets not confuse words or water things down by saying mistakes and bugs happen and stop there. Should have also said, this was no mistake and was done on purpose. All of these companies (FB twitter etc) should be sued out of existence.

deBoetie · Oct 10, 2019

Incidentally, I've no doubt this also applies to these companies remarkable keenness to have you hand over your phone number for account recovery purposes too. Only for that purpose. Honest.

guest · Aug 3, 2020

Twitter under FTC investigation for alleged misuse of user data
August 3, 2020
https://www.cnet.com/news/twitter-under-ftc-investigation-for-alleged-misuse-of-user-data/

Twitter on Monday disclosed it's under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission for using personal information provided by users for security reasons to target them with advertising. The probe could lead to a loss of as much as $250 million, the company said in a regulatory filing Monday.

"The allegations relate to the Company's use of phone number and/or email address data provided for safety and security purposes for targeted advertising during periods between 2013 and 2019," the company said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
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The investigation apparently relates to a revelation Twitter made last year in which it informed users that had recently discovered that users' email addresses and phone numbers meant to be used for security reasons "may have inadvertently been used for advertising purposes."
That information is supposed to be used solely for account protection purposes, but Twitter said advertisers were able to tap the phone numbers to target commercials, through the company's "Tailored Audiences" and "Partner Audiences advertising system.
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