Twitter begins targeted ads using cookies
Twitter moves into cookie and email-based ad targeting in US amidst increasing debates on internet privacy.
Twitter has started using cookies to track information about where the user is logging in from, as well as information on what other sites they have visited recently. The same techniques have already been used by Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter is the last to join the advertising band wagon. Twitter is valued at approx $10 billion, and has supposedly bumped up its advertising capabilities in face of an anticipated initial public offering in 2014.
Twitter will allow retailers to attach anonymous versions of their customers email addresses, called hashes, to Twitter’s advertising engine so that it can individually target the customer base. Twitter’s new feature is expected to raise advertising rates and revenues for the company.
The micro-blogging site stated in a blog post that its use of cookies is similar to that of other companies and it didn’t give advertisers any additional user information. Twitter also added that it will allow users the option of disabling cookies by enabling a “Do Not Track” option in their browser similar to Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Twitter users can opt out of ads by specifying in their account settings, according to the company. The company also stated that these ads are for its U.S based customers only for now.
In recent years there has been an increased debate regarding internet security and users privacy. European Union as well as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has looked into the extent of tracking technologies on Facebook, etc. Last year, European authorities have asked websites to inform visitors that cookies have been placed on their computers.
Source: Reuters