 "Twitter puts age verification barrier between young users and booze brands")
So you want to follow your favourite alcohol brand on Twitter and have a look at its updates and probably even take part in contests it hosts. Well, Twitter will let you do all of this, but first you need to confirm to the micro-blogging website that you’re old enough to do so.
Twitter has introduced an age screening improvement for alcohol brands on the micro-blogging website. Tarun Jain, Product Manager for Revenue at Twitter writes in a blog post that the practice will help alcohol brands to “responsibly and safely connect with the right audience on Twitter.”
No looking at alcohol if you’re underage
When you now try to follow certain alcohol related brands, you will be prompted to verify your age within 24 hours to be able to continue following the accounts. Even as you enter your date of birth, Twitter will check your age against national drinking age limits to see if you make the cut.
This age verification step will be applicable to users not just trying to follow alcohol brands on the web but even via Twitter apps on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and mobile web. Currently, Twitter has partnered with brands like Bacardi, Jim Beam, Knob Creek and Bud Light. The brands seem to be working towards integrating this tool into their overall ad strategy on Twitter. For example, Bud Light is using age-screen Promoted Accounts to reach people who are 21 and older and are interested in the NFL for a campaign. Essentially, Twitter has taken baby-steps towards age-centric targeted ads.
Now while Twitter says it will not remember your birthday, the fine-print says that it may use third-party service providers to collect your information, including your birth date. Twitter should brace itself right about now for a lot of people born on January 1 sometime in the 1980s.
(Cover image credit: Getty Images)
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