Twitter has been a social media platform that has always introduced features that can encourage young people to pursue their passion and built their careers from scratch, or to even allow them to feel praised on the platform. As of recent, the platform has been testing out a feature that will allow users to give tips to profiles who they think have great potential and to just help support their work in general. The tips can be given through a variety of payment methods that includes Band camp, Cash App, Ptreon and PayPal. Twitter will not be receiving any type of cut for these transactions. User can now tip journalists, creators, experts or anyone is general who they think deserve that form of appreciation and are underrated.
However, as soon as Twitter’s tip jar feature started making rounds on the internet, some users said that because of the way PayPal works, there is a high chance that email IDs and shipping addresses of accounts who are tipping others users could get exposed to everyone online. The CEO of SocialProof Security has also provided proofs of this and said that when a person will use PayPal for tipping, the receiver upon receiving the receipt will also get the address of the tipper. Twitter too has strict rules for this feature and also warns that anyone who would violate someone’s privacy through anyway will be straight up blocked from the social media platform forever. A simple solution to this this that if a user wants to use PayPal as a means of sending tips through the Twitter tip jar, then they can select the ‘no address needed’ option under the Shipping Address form before sending out the tip.
As for the accounts that will be eligible to get tipped to. There will be a Tip Jar icon next to the Follow option on their home pages. By tapping on that icon, the one who wants to tip will come across a list of payment platforms that the account has allowed or a list of payment methods through which the user can tip. Simply the user would have to select on a payment method and they will be taken to that app where they can tip the user by whichever amount they want.
Twitter has also updated its tipping prompt and Help Centre page on its website to make sure that the others apps like PayPal can also be allowed to share information between the one receiving and the one sending the tip.
Read next: Data Reveals Most Downloaded Apps Remains the Same as Previous Months with TikTok Still in The Lead
However, as soon as Twitter’s tip jar feature started making rounds on the internet, some users said that because of the way PayPal works, there is a high chance that email IDs and shipping addresses of accounts who are tipping others users could get exposed to everyone online. The CEO of SocialProof Security has also provided proofs of this and said that when a person will use PayPal for tipping, the receiver upon receiving the receipt will also get the address of the tipper. Twitter too has strict rules for this feature and also warns that anyone who would violate someone’s privacy through anyway will be straight up blocked from the social media platform forever. A simple solution to this this that if a user wants to use PayPal as a means of sending tips through the Twitter tip jar, then they can select the ‘no address needed’ option under the Shipping Address form before sending out the tip.
Warning all: @Twitter's new "Tip Jar" feature reveals the recipient's email address that's linked to their account, even when you don't send them any actual money
— ashkan soltani (@ashk4n) May 7, 2021
(I got permission from @jason_kint to show his email in this video)
Thread here: https://t.co/Z6WFuXSlgO https://t.co/e8f9J58db7 pic.twitter.com/6u4Vjwkinf
OK I think I've figured out the issue.
— ashkan soltani (@ashk4n) May 7, 2021
I can see email addresses for @jason_kint and @KingJosiah54 but not @MattNavarra and @MattOswaltVA
The issue seems to only affect users that haven't setup a https://t.co/ldp2WqfhkM 'nickname', therefore @Paypal reveals their email address
As for the accounts that will be eligible to get tipped to. There will be a Tip Jar icon next to the Follow option on their home pages. By tapping on that icon, the one who wants to tip will come across a list of payment platforms that the account has allowed or a list of payment methods through which the user can tip. Simply the user would have to select on a payment method and they will be taken to that app where they can tip the user by whichever amount they want.
Twitter has also updated its tipping prompt and Help Centre page on its website to make sure that the others apps like PayPal can also be allowed to share information between the one receiving and the one sending the tip.
Read next: Data Reveals Most Downloaded Apps Remains the Same as Previous Months with TikTok Still in The Lead
