The Dutch Data Protection Foundation (SDBN) wants to make a mass complaint to Twitter. According to the foundation, thousands of apps have illegally exchanged personal data with MoPub in recent years. Until recently, that advertising platform was owned by Twitter.
Twitter and MoPub accessed user data from over 30,000 free apps on smartphones and tablets between 2013 and 2021, reports SDBN. Many Dutch people have used these apps.
The question is to what extent the apps were truly free, because “consumers paid with their privacy,” says SDBN. Users have not given permission for this.
According to SDBN President Anouk Ruhaak, it is clear that user privacy has been breached. “As a company we have to prove that this is unacceptable and that these illegal practices shouldn’t pay off. In particular, the nature and scale of this violation is astounding. It has been happening behind the scenes for years.”
SDBN estimates that around 11 million users, including children, have become “victims of this illegal personal data trade”. According to the foundation, they cannot individually compete against a large company like Twitter. This is why the foundation asks for a fee on behalf of the users. According to SDBN, Dutch judges have imposed fees of 250 to 2,500 euros per person in comparable individual cases.
If Twitter is not ready to welcome users, SDBN will initiate a lawsuit. App users who feel cheated can report to the foundation and do not have to pay to participate in the case.
