A class action lawsuit against Twitter claims that the social media service secretly scans through the communications of its’ users.
In San Francisco, Wilford Raney and others filed a lawsuit against Twitter to hold the social media service responsible for violating the Wiretap Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and a California privacy law.
The plaintiffs assert that the links sent through Twitter are shortened for advertising purposes.
Twitter asserts that what they do is just a “routine business conduct” and modifying the links in private messaging prevents malware and spam.
Moreover, the social media service claims that the users are very well aware of the taken action. Modifying URLs is “ordinary” and users do give their consent.
Twitter argues that the links are modified and “checked against a list of potentially dangerous sites” also it increases advertising, which provides the “free services.”
As Twitter has a limit of 140 characters, it claims that it is more convenient to shorten URLs, allowing users to share more information.
To support their case, Twitter quotes its terms of service and privacy policy disclosures. “We may modify or adapt your Content,” “Twitter may keep track of how you interact with links across our Services… by redirecting clicks or through other means,” and “We also reserve the right to access, read, preserve, and disclose any information as we reasonably believe is necessary to… detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues… or protect the rights, property or safety of Twitter, its users, and the public,” Twitter argues that the plaintiffs haven’t suffered from any alleged injuries and despite the complaint still keep using the service.
By accepting the Terms and Conditions, we consent to the consequences that might directly affect us. Twitter uses this as an argument that users consent to their actions.
