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IPFS News Link • Social Networking/Social Media

Twitter takes big step backward in new privacy policy rollout

• http://www.naturalnews.com

(Natural News) A new update to Twitter's privacy policy sees the end of a longstanding pledge to protect user privacy by the firm. Twitter, which has never been profitable, is now taking a more proactive approach toward boosting revenue and it's coming at the expense of its loyal users.

In an effort to improve the reach of its targeted ads, Twitter will be collecting more data about people. This will include tracking your activities even when you're outside of its app and website and then storing this information for as long as 30 days; the current maximum is just ten days.

This will be made possible thanks to those "Tweet" and "Follow" buttons that can be seen on many of the websites you visit. Any time you visit a page containing these buttons, your browser sends a request to Twitter's servers that includes a header indicating the website you came from. Twitter then sets a unique cookie to create a profile of your browsing history whether you actually use their platform or not.

In the past, Twitter offered support for Do Not Track for those who would prefer not to be followed around the internet. Do Not Track gives users a simple and universal way to opt out of any third-party web tracking. It's easy to use and works across browsers regardless of the other privacy measures you have in place.

Now, however, Twitter is looking to get rid of Do Not Track and use a tool from the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) called WebChoices, which does not offer the same level of protection. It allows users to opt out of "customizing ads," but it will still collect your information either way – it just won't show you targeted ads so you'll have the illusion of not being tracked.


www.universityofreason.com/a/29887/KWADzukm