Twitter to Settle for Data Security
Twitter has decided to settle charges by federal regulators that it place the privacy of its users at risk by neglecting to protect them from data security lapses a year ago that let hackers access their accounts.
The Ftc said Thursday the settlement bars Twitter from misleading consumers about its security and privacy practices and requires the start-up to establish a comprehensive information security program.
The FTC complaint said the breaches allowed hackers to get administrative control over the online service, which lets users send brief messages called tweets together. Based on the FTC, hackers could view email addresses and other private user information, gain access to user messages, reset user passwords and send phony tweets from user accounts.
No less than one phony tweet was sent from the account of Fox News and another phony tweet was sent on the account of then-President-elect Barack Obama offering over 150,000 followers an opportunity to win $500 in free gasoline, the FTC said.
The agency charges the incidents deceived users because Twitter’s policy pledged to “employ administrative, physical, and electronic measures meant to protect your information from unauthorized access.”