Twitter Tracks Users for Sake of Social Media Ads -- Security Today

Twitter Tracks Users for Sake of Social Media Ads

By Ginger Hill
Jul 24, 2013

Twitter is probably my most favorite social media platform, but when I heard that they were experimenting with ways to track me, and you, all around the Internet, even when we leave Twitter, I became a bit skittish to say the least. This new off-site tracking is Twitter"s way of relaying information to advertisers so that ads can be created to heavily target certain people.

While it is well known that Twitter already tracks users by using "Follow" buttons and social widgets that tell Twitter where people go after leaving their site, Twitter is upping the ante a bit in the users" favor. (Of course, don"t forget that you can configure AdBlock to block the "Follow" buttons and widgets on third party sites.)

Twitter is giving users the chance to activate "Do Not Track," enabling users to have more power and control over the security of their social media experiences.

How to deactivate Twitter"s new off-site tracking

Log into your Twitter account.
At the top of the screen, beside Twitter"s search bar, click on the grey "circle" that looks like a grommet, and choose "settings" from the drop-down menu.

Scroll down and beside "Personalization," uncheck "Tailor Twitter based on my recent website visits."
Then, beside "Promoted Content," uncheck "Tailor ads based on information shared by ad partners."

Scroll to the bottom, and click on the "Save changes" button.

According to Twitter regarding their new off-site tracking, they aren"t going to put more ads on their site, just better ones, based on the results produced by their off-site tracking.

Ultimately, I think it"s a bit creepy to track and collect data on people when they leave Twitter in order to improve Twitter"s advertising. Just seems a little unethical somehow.

Source:http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/twitter-wants-start-tracking-you-web-heres-how-opt-out-6C10543909

http://lifehacker.com/twitter-wants-to-start-tracking-you-on-the-web-heres-661569459

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

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