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Do not fill this in! ==Finances == ===Revenue sources=== [[File:Twitter Headquarters.jpg|thumb|Twitter's San Francisco headquarters located at [[Market Square (San Francisco)|1355 Market Street]]]]On April 13, 2010, Twitter announced plans to offer paid [[advertising]] for companies that would be able to purchase "promoted tweets" to appear in selective search results on the Twitter website, similar to [[Adwords|Google Adwords']] advertising model.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/apr/13/twitter-advertising-google |work=[[The Guardian]] |title=Twitter Unveils 'Promoted Tweets' Ad Plan β Twitter To Let Advertisers Pay for Tweets To Appear in Search Results |first=Charles |last=Arthur |date=April 13, 2010 | access-date=February 23, 2011 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Sara |last=Kimberley |url=http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/996226/Twitter-debuts-Promoted-Tweets-ad-platform/ |title=Twitter Debuts 'Promoted Tweets' Ad Platform |publisher=[[MediaWeek]] (U.K. edition) |date=April 13, 2010 |access-date=February 5, 2011}}</ref> Users' photos can generate royalty-free revenue for Twitter, and an agreement with [[World Entertainment News Network]] (WENN) was announced in May 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2070167/twitpic-signs-controversial-deal-celebrity-photo-agency#update |title=Photo agency's CEO addresses TwitPic controversy |work=[[British Journal of Photography]] |date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=August 17, 2011 |author=Laurent, Olivier |location=London |quote=The deal will give WENN exclusive rights to sell images posted on the TwitPic service. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803071054/http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2070167/twitpic-signs-controversial-deal-celebrity-photo-agency |archive-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref> Twitter generated an estimated US$139.5 million in advertising sales during 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Twitter Ad Revenues to Grow 210% to $139.5 Million in 2011 |url=https://www.emarketer.com/newsroom/index.php/twitter-ad-revenues-grow-210-1395-million-2011/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> In June 2011, Twitter announced that it would offer small businesses a self-service advertising system.<ref>{{cite web|first=Todd |last=Wasserman |url=http://mashable.com/2011/06/09/twitter-ad-buying/ |title=Twitter Will Automate Ad-Buying by the End of the Year |publisher=Mashable.com |date=June 9, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> The self-service advertising platform was launched in March 2012 to [[American Express]] card members and merchants in the U.S. on an invite-only basis.<ref name="Zach">{{cite web|first1=Zach|last1=Miners|title=Twitter opens self-service ads to everyone|url=http://www.cmo.com.au/article/460553/twitter_opens_self-service_ads_everyone/|website=CMO|publisher=IDG Communications|access-date=August 18, 2014|date=April 30, 2013}}</ref> To continue their advertising campaign, Twitter announced on March 20, 2012, that promoted tweets would be introduced to mobile devices.<ref>[http://mashable.com/2012/03/20/twitter-promoted-tweets-mobile/ "Twitter Rolls Out Promoted Tweets for Mobile"]; Wasserman, Todd. March 20, 2012. mashable.com.</ref> In April 2013, Twitter announced that its Twitter Ads self-service platform, consisting of promoted tweets and promoted accounts, was available to all U.S. users without an invite.<ref name="Zach" /> On August 3, 2016, Twitter launched Instant Unlock Card, a new feature that encourages people to tweet about a brand in order to earn rewards and utilize the social media network's conversational ads. The format itself consists of images or videos with call-to-action buttons and a customizable hashtag.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Twitter Is Helping Brands Drive Conversations With Instant Unlock Cards |url=http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/twitter-helping-brands-drive-conversations-instant-unlock-cards-172806 |first=Mary|last=Swant|magazine=Adweek |access-date=August 4, 2016}}</ref> ===Advertising bans=== In October 2017, Twitter banned the Russian media outlets [[RT (TV network)|RT]] and [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]] from advertising on their website following the conclusions of the U.S. national intelligence report the previous January that both Sputnik and RT had been used as vehicles for [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dwoskin|first=Elizabeth |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/10/26/twitter-bans-russian-government-news-sites-rt-and-sputnik-from-buying-ads/|title=Twitter bans Russian government-owned news sites RT and Sputnik from buying ads|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref> [[Maria Zakharova]] for the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia)|Russian foreign ministry]] said the ban was a "gross violation" by the US of free speech.<ref>{{cite news|title = Twitter Bans Ads From Russia Today and the Sputnik Network, Citing Election Meddling|url = https://www.time.com/4999788/twitter-bans-russia-today-sputnik-ads/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171027043950/http://time.com/4999788/twitter-bans-russia-today-sputnik-ads/|url-status = dead|archive-date = October 27, 2017|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date = October 27, 2017|access-date = July 26, 2018}}</ref> In October 2019, Twitter announced it would stop running political ads on its ad platform effective November 22. This resulted from several spurious claims made by political ads. Company CEO Dorsey clarified that internet advertising had great power and was extremely effective for commercial advertisers, the power brings significant risks to politics where crucial decisions impact millions of lives.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/tech/twitter-bans-political-ads-on-its-platform-pressure-up-on-defiant-facebook-2368007.html|title=Twitter Bans Political Ads on Its Platform, Pressure Up on Defiant Facebook|website=News18|date=October 31, 2019|access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> The company reversed the ban in August 2023,<ref>{{cite news| last=Paul | first=Kari | title=Twitter allows US political candidates and parties to advertise in policy switch |newspaper=The Guardian | date=August 30, 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/29/twitter-x-political-ads-us-policy-misinformation}}</ref> publishing criteria governing political advertising which do not allow the promotion of false or misleading content, and requiring advertisers to comply with laws, with compliance being the sole responsibility of the advertiser.<ref>{{cite web | title=Political Content | publisher=X for Business | url=https://business.twitter.com/en/help/ads-policies/ads-content-policies/political-content.html | access-date=November 17, 2023}}</ref> In April 2022, Twitter announced a ban on "misleading" advertisements that go against "the scientific consensus on climate change". While the company did not give full guidelines, it stated that the decisions would be made with the help of "authoritative sources", including the [[United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/22/23037677/twitter-bans-climate-change-misinformation-ads|title=Twitter bans 'misleading' ads about climate change|last=Calma|first=Justine|website=The Verge|date=April 22, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2022}}</ref> === Fines === Twitter, and X, has been fined several times for non-compliance with laws and regulations. On May 25, 2022, Twitter was fined $150 million by the [[Federal Trade Commission]] and the United States Department of Justice for collecting users' contact details and using them for targeted advertising.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Dan |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Twitter fined $150m for handing users' contact details to advertisers |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/may/25/twitter-user-data-advertising-settlement}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Zakrzewski | first=Cat | title=Twitter to pay $150 million fine over deceptively collected data | newspaper=Washington Post | date=May 25, 2022 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/25/twitter-fine-ftc/}}</ref> In August 2023, Twitter was fined US$350,000 for failing to meet two deadlines to comply with a [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]] search warrant for the account of former president [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web |date=August 9, 2023 |title=Special counsel obtained search warrant for Donald Trump's Twitter account |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/09/special-counsel-obtained-search-warrant-for-donald-trumps-twitter-account-00110484 |website=[[Politico]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 9, 2023 |title=Twitter Fined $350,000 in Secret DOJ Fight Over Trump Records |url=https://time.com/6303088/twitter-x-doj-fine/ |access-date=August 11, 2023 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=August 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811052353/https://time.com/6303088/twitter-x-doj-fine/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In October 2023, X was fined AU$610,500 by Australia's e-Safety Commission for failing to properly disclose information about how it polices [[child abuse]] content.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kaye |first=Ron |date=October 16, 2023 |title=Australia fines Musk's X platform $386,000 over anti-child abuse gaps |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/australia-fines-musks-x-platform-386000-over-anti-child-abuse-gaps-2023-10-15/ |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Picciotto |first=Rebecca |date=October 15, 2023 |title=Australia fines X, formerly Twitter, for not answering questions on child abuse content |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/15/australia-fines-x-formerly-twitter-for-not-answering-questions-on-child-abuse-content-.html |access-date=October 22, 2023 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2023}} other fines were being considered.<ref>{{cite news|first=Khari|last=Johnson|title=Elon Musk's Twitter Risks Big Fines From US Regulators | publisher=WIRED | date=November 23, 2022 | url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musks-twitter-risks-big-fines-from-ftc-us-regulators/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Anand | first=Vijay | title=Twitter faces a whopping fine in Germany which is more than its net worth | publisher=CNBC TV| date=April 10, 2023 | url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/technology/twitter-faces-a-whopping-fine-in-germany-which-is-more-than-its-net-worth-16366461.htm}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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