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Twitter Updates Privacy Policy, Ends 'Do Not Track' Support

You may see a notice informing you about the recent privacy policy changes the next time you visit the microblogging service, if you haven't seen it already.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Twitter on Wednesday announced some privacy policy updates and new tools to give you more control over how your information is used. But it has also discontinued support for the Do Not Track browser preference.

Transparency on TwitterIt should now be a little easier to keep tabs on how Twitter is using your information and which advertisers target you on the platform. In Settings, visit the newly expanded "Your Twitter Data" section (located on the right-side column on desktop) to see which advertisers have included you in their "Tailored Audiences." When I checked this morning, Twitter said I was part of "10,718 audiences from 2,140 advertisers."

You can request an advertiser list and/or head to a new "Personalized and Data" section, which lets you easily opt out of things like personalized ads and data tracking. Among the options in this section is one to "personalize across your devices." If you leave this turned on, Twitter will associate your device with your account and "personalize your experience based on information from other devices besides the ones you use to log into Twitter." This means if you visit sports websites on your laptop, you might see sports-related ads when you're browsing Twitter on your mobile device.

You may see a notice informing you about the recent privacy policy changes the next time you visit the microblogging service, if you haven't seen it already. It gives you the option to review you settings or click "Sounds good" and proceed to Twitter; if you choose the latter, you'll be opted in to most of the new settings.

Twitter Notification

In a blog post, Twitter said it has "expanded" the way it uses and stores data from other websites that integrate content from the platform, such as embedded tweets. The company is storing "web page visit data," but not for users in the European Union or European Free Trade Association states.

This data collection "will allow us to further improve and personalize our services, connecting you with the stories, brands and organic content you care about most," the company said.

Meanwhile, Twitter said that some of its partnership agreements allow "non-personal, aggregated, and device-level data" to be connected with personal information such as your name and email, "but only when you give your consent to those partners."

Finally, it should also be noted that Twitter has discontinued support for the Do Not Track browser preference. "While we had hoped that our support for Do Not Track would spur industry adoption, an industry-standard approach to Do Not Track did not materialize," Twitter said. "We now offer more granular privacy controls."

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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