Twitter Hopes the Public Will Take Responsibility for Security Issues
Much of life is
figuring out
what, exactly,
we as people
are responsible
for: ourselves,
our
communities,
our social
media
accounts... At
least this is how Twitter wants the public and
private companies to handle their Twitter
profiles.
With the recent hacking of the AP's Twitter
account and subsequent drop in the Stock
Exchange, the world took notice of the power
harnessed by a single tweet. Immediately,
everyone began pointing fingers, setting into
motion a public relations crisis for Twitter.
Customers clamored for better security features
on Twitter, specifically a two-step
authentication system that would block "spear-
phishing" attacks and prevent hackers from
gaining access to customer accounts. Twitter
knows this will take time to develop and
implement, and may also impede speedy access
to accounts, which is critical to a social media
platform dependent on immediacy. So Twitter
isn't keen on this additional security idea. It
has a different plan.
Twitter is asking its customers to take more
responsibility for their own security. That's
right. Twitter is pointing its finger back at the
public and saying, "Hey, people, this is your
responsibility." And we have to admit, Twitter
does have a point. Sort of.
As much as we hate it, complicated passwords
and restricted access are responses to the
realities of the world we inhabit, much like
taking off our shoes is now part of air travel.
Cutting corners only leads to trouble. We have
to be responsible for ourselves.
But from a public relations standpoint, Twitter
is entering dangerous territory here. The public
doesn't appreciate being told it is part of the
problem. This is treacherous for Twitter's brand
identity as many customers will view this
response as Twitter's attempt to shirk its own
responsibilities and pass them on to customers.
The PR challenge for Twitter relies on striking a
balance between sincerely accepting blame
while also changing customers' behavior--
without offending them. Is this even possible?
So, we ask you, industry experts, will Twitter
ultimately survive this PR crisis by adding more
security, or will it convince the public to own
the problem?
