Twitter announces support for Do Not Track
The social network stops the tracking when users are on Firefox or other browsers that support the Do Not Track feature. Of course, that feature also has to be turned on.
Twitter is the latest Web giant to support Do Not Track.
Ed Felten, chief technology officer at the Federal Trade Commission, announced today at an Internet Week privacy panel that Twitter will now stop tracking user data from those who opt-out. According to The New York Times, which was first to report on the news, Twitter's tracking will be nixed with help from Firefox's Do Not Track feature.
Twitter confirmed Felten's statement in a tweet today, saying that the company "now supports Do Not Track." Twitter also commended the FTC for its "leadership on Do Not Track."
Do Not Track has been met with both criticism and appreciation. The issue, critics say, is that even if a user has the Do Not Track feature turned on in their favorite browser, the only way it'll work is if a Web site also supports the technology. Privacy advocates, including the FTC, say that Do Not Track could be a fine way for Web users to control how their surfing behaviors are tracked. They also point to an increasing number of Web sites supporting the privacy measure.
With Twitter now on board, Do Not Track has garnered the support of several prominent companies, including Yahoo, Google, and AOL.