Twitter Tracks Us No More! New “Do Not Track” Feature Gives Some Privacy Back To Users

Twitter announced that it will now offer a “Do Not Track” feature option to allow users to actually opt out of being tracked by the social media service. During New York’s annual Internet Week, the Federal Trade Commision’s (FTC) Chief Technology Officer Ed Felten broke the news at panel, and Twitter quickly confirmed:

Nice move Twitter.

The Do Not Track feature is something we will being to see more of, especially since the FTC’s report in March that called for Internet browser designers like Google and Safari to stop allowing websites to collect sensitive data about users. Currently, the Do Not Track feature is offered up by Mozilla FireFox browsers, so if you don’t want to be tracked make sure you are using FireFox. But keep in mind, the feature will only work if the website you are on agrees to the terms. So for now, only Twitter.com is setting this new “track-free” social media standard.

***Side note: Social media super gaint, Facebook, does not offer the Do Not Track feature. I have to say I find this interesting, considering their constant claims of not needing to track your data. But let us just wait and see what unfolds with Facebook’s privacy battles after their IPO tomorrow!