Twitter has updated their privacy policy. You may have noticed a notification to inform you of this, with a link to the full policy. If you don't have the time or interest in reading it all, here is what you need to know.
The company kicks off the boring legal bit with a very good line - you are what you tweet. It's important for those using the service to know how much of their information is shared and with whom.
By setting up a Twitter profile, you are consenting to the collection, transfer, storage, disclosure and use of your information. For those living outside of the US, Ireland acts as the data controller.
What happens when you tweet?
When you send a tweet, your 140 characters are public (unless your profile is made private). Each tweet contains metadata that includes when the tweet was sent, the app used to send it, creation time, language, country, time zone, lists created, people you follow, tweets you like / retweet and Periscopes you watch.
This information is accessible to users, customers and services such as search engines, developers and publishers.
Are DMs strictly private?
It is possible to have a private conversation within the direct messages facility on Twitter.
While nobody else can access your private messages, it is worth noting that they are stored and processed on Twitter's side of things.
What do they know about you?
If you want to see what information Twitter has about you, click here. This brings up a personal report. Here's what mine looks like:
I don't speak Czech, Welsh, Danish, Romanian or Spanish so I unticked those boxes.
Within this screen, it's also possible to see what interests, partners and tailored audiences you are part of. As you'll see below, I am part of 4,828 audiences from 1,560 advertisers.
It's also possible to download your entire Twitter history and review accounts you may have blocked or muted.
Twitter allows for users to access, correct, delete or modify personal information provided by you to Twitter.
Can I delete my Twitter account?
It is possible to delete your Twitter account. When an account is deactivated, information such as name, username and public profile are not visible on Twitter.com. After 30 days, your information is then deleted from Twitter's systems. This can take up to a week.
