Yesterday, Twitter released an updated
privacy policy and new website settings that enable users to see who is
advertising to them and why.
This new feature allows users to
review what Twitter, and, in turn, advertisers, thinks their interests are.
Users will be able to see how many advertisers are targeting them, and how many
“audiences” (targeted groups) they are a part of – and both numbers can be well
into the thousands.
The new update contains a feature to
empower Twitter users to de-select what interests they don’t want to receive
advertisements for, and, in the vein of transparency, users can request to be
sent a list of the advertisers they are being targeted by.
Twitter, which has experienced slowed
financial and user growth, should financially benefit from more targeted
adverting, since more tailored advertising should lead to increased revenue for
the Company. Additionally, the more personalized the user experience, the more
likely that the curated tweets for any given user will be more engaging, making
the Twitter experience more holistic and worthwhile for users.
So why would Twitter make this
announcement and give users the option to opt-out of any tailored interest-centric
advertising? Privacy.
Privacy is the counterbalance to
personalization and a highly targeted online experience. The last paragraph of Twitter’s
announcement yesterday read: “Privacy
is built into our DNA as a company and it’s something we take an active role in
promoting and advocating for across the world… Our commitment to protecting and
defending your privacy will continue as we build our industry leadership on
this issue.” Yes, it seems somewhat paradoxical to end a release that
talks about sharing highly targeted, interest-based information with thousands
of advertisers this way. But privacy remains a critical issue among users, and
especially in today’s political climate, users want to have a sense of security
regarding online privacy. This balance between personalization (which, to be
successful, requires user data to be shared) and privacy is a critical issue
that online companies and digital advertisers must continue to navigate and
refine in today’s world.
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