Twitter user. Image: Natee Meepian/Shutterstock
Twitter has had a change of heart when it comes to tracking users for advertising, announcing that it will now follow you for 30 days.
The latest earnings report from Twitter showed a company that was finally starting to make some progress. It hopes to one day be profitable, with its number of average monthly users increasing by 6pc.
However, Twitter still struggles to attract advertisers on the same level as the giants of Facebook and Google, scuppering its attempts to find an eager buyer.
In an effort to offer greater options for those potential client companies, Twitter has updated its terms of policy, announcing that it will now track users of the service of the social media platform for up to 30 days, rather than 10, as it had been doing until now.
Coming into effect on 18 June, the new policy will allow the company to collect data on a user for up to a month as it aims to find out how people browse the web, in order to offer advertisers a better chance of targeting more personalised ads.
Image: Twitter
Ending support for Do Not Track
In an attempt to ease any fears of users losing control over where their data goes, Twitter has issued a blog post explaining that you can now access new controls that allow you to give – or not give – permission to collect certain data.
This includes controlling how personalised ads appear based on locations you have been, and allowing the company to track what device you are using Twitter on, to tailor ads based on third-party content.
“For example, if you visit websites with sports content on your laptop, you can use this setting to help control whether we show you sports-related ads on Twitter for Android or iOS,” Twitter said.
This marks a major turnaround for a company that had signed up to – and been vocal in supporting – the Do Not Track online tool.
The Federal Trade Commission's CTO, Ed Felten, just mentioned Twitter now supports Do Not Track. We applaud the FTC's leadership on DNT.
— Twitter (@Twitter) May 17, 2012
Under the new terms, support has been ended with Twitter, joining nine other online companies to do so, according to Marketing Land.
“We do not store webpage visit data for users who are in the European Union and EFTA states,” Twitter confirmed.
“We’re also excited to announce that we will be participating in the Swiss-US Privacy Shield and adhering to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioural Advertising.”
Twitter user. Image: Natee Meepian/Shutterstock
