Online security is a major concern. Internet users need to be increasingly careful with their information, and brands that run online promotions and contests have to take steps to protect users’ privacy at every stage of the process. Pongr’s platform ensures security with OAuth2, the industry standard used by sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and foursquare to allow users to grant third-party applications access to only their relevant information.
OAuth2 works by assigning every user an access token when they authenticate the app. Any requests made to the Pongr API—such as uploading a photo, liking a photo, or commenting on a photo—must have this access token to let the system know that the user has approved the app to act on their behalf. This protects against any unauthorized activity that could expose the user’s personal information.
This protocol is both easy and familiar to anyone who has used Facebook or Twitter Connect. When the app needs a Pongr access token, the user can choose to connect via Facebook, connect via Twitter, sign in to their existing Pongr account, or create a new Pongr account. Signing in using social sites takes only a few clicks and doesn’t require the user to type in any information.
Authenticating the Pongr app will be familiar to anyone who has used Facebook or Twitter Connect before.
Once an account has been created, future sign-ins are quick and painless. There’s no need to collect the user’s information again. Accounts are also reusable—if the same platform is used for multiple campaigns, users don’t have to register every time. This reusability makes CRM data even more valuable to brands, since they can observe a user’s engagement across multiple campaigns and learn even more based on his interactions.
Pongr’s OAuth2 also complies with alternate method of entry rules. For any contest or sweepstakes that is required to have more than one way to enter, Pongr’s platform can give users as many as three options—connect through Facebook, connect through Twitter, or create a Pongr account. Connecting via social sites has the added benefit of making it simple for users to share their photos to Facebook or Twitter with just one click, but having a profile on one of those sites isn’t required to participate.
Users don’t even have to create a Pongr account if they don’t want to! The bare minimum that’s needed to enter a promotion or sweepstakes is sending in a photo.
Sites that use any personal information have an obligation to their users to look out for their privacy. Pongr’s platform security is the best in the industry and will ensure users’ safety and privacy while participating in contests and promotions.
Visit our corporate site to learn more about OAuth2.