Personal information is valuable to companies who can sell ads and target demographics, and Twitter is indirectly collecting your cell phone numbers to achieve this.
Xbox Music Free Cancelled: Microsoft Terminating Ad-Supported Version, Will Only Offer Subscriptions
As reported by Forbes, the social media company developed a new platform for developers named Fabric, which comes with a feature called Digits. Digits essentially pays the bill created by sending registration texts, meaning apps using Fabric can have people sign up just by providing a phone number.
This is easier for the developers--people don't need passwords and usernames--and removes the cost of paying for the registration texts themselves. On the other side, while Twitter will have to pay the cost itself, there's more long-term benefit that makes it worthwhile. Through Fabric, because Digits is collecting sign-up phone numbers, Twitter is being given access to a range of new people, and potential ad targets.
iPad Air 2 Review Round-Up: Thinner, Better, And Seemingly The Best Tablet On The Market
This both gives demographics information on who is using what apps, and provides a revenue stream when targeting those audiences through its ad network. Twitter has not commented on how it will store or use the numbers. Services such as WhatsApp use the text registration format in lieu of usernames and passwords for its simplicity, and Twitter will benefit from any app signing people up using Digits moving forward.
