Twitter hopes to pay off debt with customer data
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Twitter reportedly plans to force users to select personalized ads & location tracking and also wants to sell phone numbers to increase income — and Apple won't be happy if they do either.
It may be that Elon Musk's war with Apple isn't over yet as Twitter seeks additional revenue streams from users. The company has already raised the price of a Twitter Blue subscription from $8 to $11 for anyone who signs up through the iPhone app, but that may not be enough to limit losses.
According to Platformer's report, Twitter may try to force users to opt for personalized ads and more invasive tracking. Paid users of Twitter Blue will be exempt from more extreme advertising and tracking tactics.
The company will require users to sign up for personalized ads, location tracking, and sell their two-factor authentication phone number in order to continue using Twitter.
These requirements violate several Apple App Store policies. Several rules prevent developers from requiring users to consent to the tracking and sale of their data — especially those related to application tracking transparency.
The App Store policies describe the tracking requirement for access to app features as unacceptable. The full text of section 3.2.2(iv) of the manual clearly states what is allowed and what is not.
Apps should allow the user to get what they paid for without having to take additional steps such as posting to social media, downloading contacts, signing up for the app a certain number of times, etc. Apps should not require users to rate the app, view the app, watch videos, download other apps, click on ads, enable tracking, or perform other similar actions to access features, content, use the app, or receive monetary or other compensation, including, but not limited to, gift cards and codes .
These rumors reportedly originated from internal Twitter leaks. It's unclear if the policy changes are coming directly from Elon Musk.
After meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Musk should be fully aware that such actions are prohibited and could result in Twitter being removed from the App Store.
Alternatively, Musk can test his limits with such attempts, which is tantamount to a publicity stunt. Of course, there may be incorrect details in the report in question.
If Twitter tries to implement these changes, it could face another “war” with Apple. At the very least, Elon Musk might have to visit Apple Park again to give a lecture on App Store policy.
