Just a few days after the implementation of the GDPR for the protection of personal data on the internet, many users have already experienced the changes they have brought. For example, a large number of Twitter users ended up being locked out of their accounts.
Last week, the company locked the accounts of users who joined Twitter before the age of 13, even though some of them are now old enough.
It is unclear how many accounts have been affected, but several users have made posts related to the incident, while according to VentureBeat, at least one business account, which listed the date of “birth” as the company’s founding date, was also locked.
Users are reporting receiving emails and notifications from Twitter warning them that their accounts are no longer accessible. Some reported receiving a request to add their date of birth to their profile shortly after.
For those who have been locked out of their accounts, the best thing for now is to open a new account, which many will probably not like as an idea.
Unlike Facebook and other social platforms, Twitter does not require users to provide a date of birth when they sign up, and although it does require that users be at least 13, there has never been any strict enforcement. Some users, for example, were under 13 when they signed up for Twitter and added their date of birth to their profile a few years later.
But according to the GDPR that went into effect last week, companies are required to enforce a minimum user age of 13.
Twitter's solution to this was to suspend the accounts of users who had registered on the platform when they were under the age of 13.
Needless to say, many users were disappointed when their accounts were locked without warning. Furthermore, Twitter has not yet contacted them about what can be done to regain access to their accounts.
Twitter's decision to close accounts shouldn't come as a surprise, considering how strict the new GDPR measures are and how large the fines are for companies that don't comply. However, what is somewhat concerning is the fact that while the social network had plenty of time to prepare, it didn't inform its users about the new changes in a timely manner, which could have a negative impact on the company's image.
