Twitter now shares more user data with advertisers

Twitter has updated its data sharing policy which removes the ability for users to opt out from data sharing with ad platforms.

Twitter updates its data sharing policy which leads to providing advertising platforms with more information. (AFP)

Twitter announced it will share more user data with advertisers. To do so, Twitter has removed an option that allowed users to opt out from sharing their data with advertisers.

Twitter shares "non-public personal information" with its business partners for personalised advertising. This was earlier available as an option called "Share your data with Twitter's business partners", and users could opt out of it. Twitter is making a change to this setting which allows for more information to be shared with advertising platforms. Also, Twitter is removing the option that allowed users to control "mobile app advertising measurements".

"This information can include IP address and mobile device advertising identifiers for devices that open or log in to Twitter's mobile apps; but does not include your name, email, phone number, or Twitter username," Twitter explained in its blog post.

For mobile application advertising, Twitter said information collected includes ads a particular browser "ads a particular browser or device saw, watched, or otherwise interacted with." it retirates that the user's personal details aren't shared with the ad platforms.

The updated data sharing guidelines on Twitter affects users globally. It is however not applicable to twitter users in the European Union or the UK due to their strict data sharing rules. Users in these regions will have to opt in for Twitter to collect their data.

"If you are located in the European Union, an EFTA state, or the United Kingdom, your Allow additional information sharing with business partners setting must be enabled in order for Twitter and its data processors to share the non-public personal information described above with third parties that are not acting as data processors," Twitter said in its blog post.