Twitter's updated privacy policy comes into effect today. All you need to know
In a blog post informing users of its updated terms of service, Twitter notes the changes in its privacy policy -- which includes those around Twitter Blue, Twitter Spaces, payment features, and the like.
Twitter, the social networking platform which has been involved in several privacy-related rows in India over the past couple of months, has announced that its updated privacy policy comes into effect from Thursday, August 19. In a blog post informing users of its updated terms of service, Twitter notes the changes in its privacy policy -- which includes those around Twitter Blue, Twitter Spaces, payment features, and the like.
"We have made some updates to our Privacy Policy," Twitter announced on its official website. "The updated Privacy Policy will go into effect on August 19, 2021. We believe you should always know what data we collect from you and how we use it, and that you should have meaningful control over both. We want to empower you to make the best decisions about the information that you share with us. That’s the basic purpose of this Privacy Policy."
Twitter Spaces
Twitter Spaces, a social audio feature that enables users to host or participate in a live-audio virtual environment, is a key part of the updated privacy policy. Elaborating on how the company uses this voice data as per its policies, Twitter said that it produces audio transcripts for the conversations taking place on the platform. This text is then scrutinised for any potential violations of Twitter's rules and guidelines. This is also used to, in turn, make "improvements" to the way the Twitter Spaces feature works, the company said.
Payment information
Twitter receives payment information from a user -- including the credit or debit card number, card expiration date, CVV code, and billing address. The company said that when money is sent using Twitter features or services in order to purchase advertising or other offerings, it may receive information about the transaction such as when it was made or "when a subscription is set to expire or auto-renew."
Video content
Twitter also explained that to improve user experience, the company works with third-party partners to display their video content on the platform. "When you watch or otherwise interact with content from these partners, they may receive and process your personal data as described in their privacy policies," the social media giant said. "If you do not want this content to play automatically, you can adjust your autoplay settings. If you’ve shared information like Direct Messages or protected Tweets with someone else who accesses Twitter through a third-party service, keep in mind that the information may be shared with the third-party service."
Twitter users are recommended to read the entire text of the platform's new privacy policy here.
