Twitter Implements Better Security Measures

Twitter Implements Better Security Measures

Twitter Inc. had a recent hacking incident that compromised the accounts of prominent political figures and celebrities.

The company execs said on Thursday it was implementing more security measures for certain election-related accounts in the United States.

In fact, they expanded that certain accounts would require it to take security measures given the unique sensitivities of the election period. Among these are accounts belonging to the U.S. executive branch, Congress, presidential campaigns, and political parties.

Such accounts will have a requirement to use a strong password. By default, Twitter will enable a setting that helps prevent unauthorized password changes. Additionally, users will need to enable two-factor authentication.

Hackers were able to access Twitter’s internal systems and seize control of accounts In July. These included Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former U.S. President Barack Obama. Twitter’s employees were duped into sharing account credentials.

Lawmakers expressed concerns over a possible repeat of the issue. That is if a similar breach occurred a day before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3.

The White House said it had been in constant contact with Twitter after the hack. This is to ensure the security of President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, which was not jeopardized in the hack.

There are other types of accounts for which Twitter requires or recommends these security measures. Specifically, these include those belonging to members of the U.S. Congress, U.S. governors, and secretaries of state. Moreover, political candidates that have Twitter’s “Election Labels” and some major U.S. news outlets and political journalists.

Facebook Restrains Internal Debate on Political Issues

In the coming weeks, Twitter would put in place other internal security safeguards for the accounts. These will include better detection’s to help the company and account holders respond quickly to suspicious activity. Furthermore, increased login defenses to prevent malicious account takeover attempts.

Meanwhile, Facebook Inc said on Thursday, it would update its internal discussion policies. This is to impose restrictions on employees’ ability to debate social and political issues.

A Facebook spokesman said, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg outlined his plans for the curbs to employees on Thursday.  It contained details of the new rules that will come out next week.

These new rules would apply to employee discussions of how executives handle politically sensitive content on Facebook’s platforms. This was the subject of intense internal debates this summer. This was a statement from Spokesman Joe Osborne.

He also said the company aimed to ensure that the debate of those decisions could still take place in “appropriate channels.” That is without clogging up other work-related discussions.

Facebook was also strengthening its harassment policy to keep the conversation respectful. Furthermore, to protect underrepresented employees, Osborne said.

Like other tech companies, Facebook prides itself on fostering open debate inside the company. And it takes a hard line against public disclosure of those conversations.

This week, Google likewise said it would expand the use of moderation on internal message boards. It cites “tough global conversations,” technology news reported. 

Discussions grew especially heated after June. This was when Zuckerberg decided not to take action against a post by U.S. President Donald Trump. The post used a phrase associated with segregation and police brutality.