Twitter being prosecuted for misusing 2FA phone numbers of targeted ads

Twitter is in trouble with the US Government after the Federal Trade Commission started investigating a complaint against the company.

The complaint alleges that between 2013 and 2019 Twitter was using phone numbers supplied solely for Two Factor Authentication to target ads to end-users.

The company may face fines of up to $250 million and has already set aside $150 in case it loses the case.  Twitter had in 2011 agreed with the FTC not to mislead consumers about how it protects their private information.

Twitter said they violated user’s privacy “inadvertently” and “an error.”

Twitter, however, hoped for a positive outcome, saying:

“The matter remains unresolved, and there can be no assurance as to the timing or the terms of any final outcome.”

Via The verge