What Twitter knows about you – and what you can do about it - KTXL FOX 40 Sacramento

(NEXSTAR) – Many Twitter users – astatine slightest those who haven’t deactivated their accounts already – person expressed concerns astir privateness since billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform.

Not definite what information you’ve fixed Twitter, oregon what information it has inferred astir you? Here’s what you should cognize and what you tin bash astir it.

The information Twitter collects

According to Twitter, determination are a fig of details it knows astir you. Some of it you provided to make an account: your username, email, telephone number, birthday, and location. Twitter says determination is information they whitethorn person inferred astir you “such arsenic sex and property range,” but you person the enactment to acceptable this accusation arsenic well.

If you person a nonrecreational account, you whitethorn person provided different accusation similar a thoroughfare code oregon different telephone fig oregon email.

Twitter tin cod your login history, wherever you person logged successful from, apps you person connected to Twitter, contacts you’ve imported, and your IP address. The platform, arsenic good arsenic its partners, person besides inferred interests astir your relationship oregon instrumentality which is past utilized to “improve your Twitter experience.” This means providing ads, notifications, and recommended tweets that whitethorn beryllium of greater involvement to you.

According to its privacy policy, Twitter collects accusation connected however you interact with others connected its platform, including contents, recipients, date, and clip of messages erstwhile you usage Direct Messages. If you nonstop Twitter an email, oregon interact with links successful its emails oregon connected its platform, Twitter collects accusation connected the contented included.

Twitter whitethorn besides person accusation astir you from 3rd parties, similar advertisement and concern partners oregon different work you link your Twitter relationship with.

Where to spot the information Twitter has connected you

This volition beryllium connected wherever you are logged in.

On a desktop, commencement by clicking connected ‘More’ connected the near broadside of your screen. Then prime ‘Settings and privacy.’ Under ‘Your account,’ click connected ‘Account information.’ You’ll request to reenter your password, but past you’ll beryllium capable to spot the information Twitter has collected oregon inferred astir you. If you don’t person an account, you tin inactive presumption the information Twitter has connected you by visiting twitter.com, clicking connected the ‘Settings’ tab, and pursuing the aforesaid steps.

On your mobile device, the process is comparatively the same. Tap your photograph successful the precocious left-hand corner, past ‘Settings and Support.’ In the dropdown, prime ‘Settings and privacy,’ past ‘Your account.’ You whitethorn spot little accusation present than erstwhile viewing connected a desktop.

To presumption connected apps and wherever you are logged successful connected some desktop and mobile, click connected ‘Security and relationship access’ nether the ‘Settings and privateness tab. You’ll beryllium capable to spot ‘Apps and sessions’ and ‘Connected accounts’ associated with your Twitter account.

Under the ‘Privacy and safety’ tab, you tin reappraisal interests you person opted into pursuing and those that Twitter has inferred astir you. Under the ‘Interests’ tab, you tin uncheck interests you aren’t really funny in.

Twitter besides allows you to download an archive of your data. On desktop and mobile, that enactment tin beryllium selected nether the ‘Your account’ section. You’ll beryllium asked to verify your relationship via a codification sent to your email oregon text. Once confirmed, you tin petition the archive, which is delivered arsenic a ZIP file. Twitter notes it tin instrumentality 24 hours oregon longer for your information to beryllium ready, and you volition beryllium notified with an in-app notification erstwhile it is available.

What tin you change?

Not comfy with however overmuch accusation Twitter has connected you? There are immoderate settings you tin change, similar removing immoderate of the inferred interests it has connected you (see above).

You tin halt Twitter from sharing your information with advertisers by viewing ‘Settings,’ past ‘Settings and privacy.’ There, prime ‘Ad preferences’ nether ‘Privacy and safety.’ You tin toggle disconnected personalized ads, meaning Twitter volition halt utilizing information collected from your clip connected the level and “other online enactment and information” from its partners.

Under the aforesaid section, you tin again reappraisal and alteration your interests, and presumption however galore audiences from advertisers you are a portion of. Twitter notes that portion you tin opt retired of interest-based ads, you won’t beryllium removed from advertisers’ audiences. You can, however, petition to spot the database of advertisers you are a portion of – that volition beryllium emailed to you erstwhile it’s ready.

You tin crook disconnected information sharing with concern partners – Twitter shares accusation with those partners “as a mode to tally and amended its products” – and personalization based connected the places you person been.

If you bash opt to deactivate your account, Twitter says your relationship volition beryllium permanently deactivated aft 30 days and “all accusation associated with your relationship is nary longer disposable successful our Production Tools.” During that 30-day period, you inactive person the enactment to reconstruct your account.

It’s not yet wide what, if anything, Musk volition alteration regarding the idiosyncratic information Twitter collects from users. Debbie Reynolds, a planetary information privateness adept and technologist, told USA Today that Musk’s program to complaint users with bluish checkmarks a monthly interest and to adhd different features to the level could summation the magnitude of idiosyncratic accusation collected.

But, determination is simply a accidental it wouldn’t each beryllium bad. Reynolds points to Musk’s different company, Tesla, which is good known for its strict presumption and practices regarding cybersecurity. Those aforesaid practices could beryllium enacted connected Twitter.