Twitter implements ‘Do Not Track’ option for more privacy
At an Internet Week privacy panel last week, Federal Trade Commission’s Chief Technology Officer Ed Felton announced that Twitter now supports ‘Do Not Track’ (DNT). Twitter confirmed this through a tweet reading, “The Federal Trade Commission’s CTO, Ed Felten, just mentioned Twitter now supports Do Not Track. We applaud the FTC’s leadership on DNT.”
Enabling DNT allows users to “opt-out of cookies that collect personal information and any third-party cookies, including those used for advertising. The Do Not Track functionality will only work if a Web site agrees to acknowledge it.” By enabling DNT within Twitter, you are opting out of personalized suggestions, such as suggestions for accounts to follow and personalized advertisements.
A new page has been added in the Twitter Help Center to explain ‘Do Not Track’ and contains directions on how to enable it for most popular browsers. For new users signing up for Twitter, there will be a checkbox on the signup page that says “Tailor Twitter based on my recent website visits.” Existing users can change their privacy preferences in their account settings.
Pakistan blocks Twitter
The Pakistan government blocked Twitter on Sunday morning in response to Twitter refusing to remove tweets containing blasphemy against Islam. The Christian Science Monitor reported that the tweets were part of a contest to submit cartoons of Mohammad, and that many Muslims consider any depiction of the prophet blasphemous.
While the ban lasted for around 6-8 hours on Sunday, many remained tweeting. Shahzad Ahmad, head of an organization that monitors Internet freedom in Pakistan called Bytes for All, immediately set up a team of IT professionals to help people bypass the ban.
Twitter and ESPN want you to tweet them your #GameFace
A new partnership between ESPN and TV will create custom ad campaigns around major sporting events, starting with the NBA Finals. The campaign is called GameFace and asks fans to tweet pictures of their best “game face” using the hashtag #GameFace. It will be promoted on Twitter using the “Promoted Products” services, on-screen during ABC’s live broadcast of the NBA Finals, and on ESPN’s various properties.
The best tweeted pictures will be featured on television and on official Twitter accounts with large followings. After each game, analysts on ESPN’s “NBA Tonight” will show the best game faces of each game. Once the NBA Finals have ended, ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose, who has more than 600,000 followers, will tweet his favorite 5 pictures, and will then announce the winner on-air. The winner will get a tour of ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn.
Future plans for the partnership include campaigns around the World Series, Superbowl, and NASCAR Chase for the Cup.
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