Twitter was fined $150 million (£119 million) in the US after law enforcement officials accused. It of using user data illegally to support sales of advertisements targeted.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice said Twitter violated a deal with regulators, court documents show.
Twitter has agreed not to share personally identifiable information with advertisers, such as phone numbers and email addresses.
Federal investigators said the social media company violated the rules.
Twitter was fine £400,000 in December 2020 for violating European rules on GDPR data confidentiality.
The FTC is an independent agency of the United States government task with enforcing antitrust laws and promoting consumer protection.
He accused Twitter of violating a 2011 FTC order that prohibits the company from misrepresenting its privacy and security practices. Twitter generates most of its earnings from advertising on its platform, allowing users, from celebrities to businesses, to post 280-character messages or tweets.
“As noted in the complaint, Twitter obtain data from users because it was use for security purposes. But ended up using the data to target users with advertisements,” said Lina Hahn, chair of the FTC.
Ian Reynolds, chief executive of computer security firm Secure Team, told the news. Twitter has once again violated its users’ trust in their platform by using their personal information to their advantage and to increase their income.”
He added: “Twitter has given its customers a false sense of security by collecting their data. And claiming to do so for security purposes and to protect their accounts, but is ultimately using the data to target their users with advertisements.”
“This reality shows the power of organizations still owning their data and. That there is still a long way to go before users can feel confident that they have complete control over their digital footprint.
To verify an account, Twitter requires a phone number and email address