Twitter notified in Brazil after charging for 2-step authentication

Twitter has started charging for login access via 2-factor authentication (2FA). According to the platform, 75% of its users use this feature via SMS. However, the Consumer Defense Institute (Idec) The payment violates Brazilian law and has reported the situation to federal agencies.

In February, 2FA login became exclusive to Twitter Blue subscribers. The service currently costs BRL 44 per month or BRL 440 per year. Non-paying users can no longer access the authentication mechanism, making them more vulnerable to attacks and fraud. Despite this, the social network did not offer any alternative protection for free access.

“By making security a prerogative of paying consumers, Twitter degrades the quality of the service provided, displays a contradictory stance on the platform, and violates goodwill and consumers’ legitimate expectation for the protection of their services,” the statement from Idec says.

What is the practical impact of the notification?

As a nonprofit (NGO), Idec does not have the capacity to impose fines or sanctions to force Twitter to change its stance. However, the institute sent notices to the Ministry of Justice’s National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon) and the Presidential Social Communications Secretariat.

Senacon aims to prevent and suppress any practices that harm consumers. Last year, the agency fined Facebook 6.6 million BRL for leaking user data to Cambridge Analytica during Donald Trump’s 2018 presidential campaign.

Having the status of a Ministry, Secom is home to the Digital Policies Secretariat, which can help define a possible regulatory framework for digital platforms.