Privacy and security concerns have been running rampant through the social web lately, and today Twitter steals the notorious spotlight from Facebook. While Facebook users might still be facing uncertain privacy controls, those on Twitter can breathe a little easier after Thursday’s settlement between the micro-blogging company and the Federal Trade Commission. Sparked by two successful hacking attempts in January and April of 2009, these security measures include requiring Twitter to implement a “comprehensive information security program” that is analysed by a third party every two years for the next ten years.
The settlement between Twitter and the FTC closes the first action the Commission has taken against a social networking site for its lack of appropriate security measures. The two main outcomes of this settlement include Twitter’s agreement to create an independently audited security program, and preventing Twitter “for 20 years from misleading consumers about the extent to which it protects the security, privacy, and confidentiality of nonpublic consumer information, including the measures it takes to prevent unauthorized access to nonpublic information and honor the privacy choices made by consumers.” Interestingly, they are only barred from misleading consumers for the next 20 years. Presumable after that they are free to mislead as they please.
These measures have been implemented as a result of two successful Twitter hacks in 2009. The first one in January 2009 resulted in high-profile accounts – including Obama, Britney Spears and Fox News – being hacked and tweeting jokes and other unauthorized Tweets. The second attack in April 2009 occurred after a hacker obtained a Twitter password from an employee’s unencrypted Yahoo! email.
According to the Twitter blog: “Even before the agreement, we’d implemented many of the FTC’s suggestions and the agreement formalizes our commitment to those security practices.” They had notified users and closed the security hole within hours of the attacks.
In related news, the hacker who was responsible for the January attack on Obama’s and other high-profile accounts was convicted and received a five month suspended prison sentence on Thursday as well.
