NET303 Policy Primer

Nicky Veitch | NET303 Policy Primer

Twitter Terms of Service

Copyright

Surveillance and Privacy

Free Expression and Censorship

Rights and responsibilities

But...

So if you are an artist

or other type of content producer,

and find your content

being improperly used on Twitter,

by submitting content, you also grant Twitter a:

What kind of privacy do you get

on Twitter?

This means they can use

your content

in any way they like.

By signing up to Twitter,

and agreeing to their Terms,

you’re actually giving up quite a lot

of personal control,

to a corporation.

(by somebody other than Twitter or their affiliates)

About 95% of Twitter accounts are public.

there is a process you can follow

to try to get it removed.

“worldwide, non-exclusive,

royalty-free license

(with the right to sublicense)

to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods

(now known or later developed)”

They can change your content if they want to.

And...

But...

New accounts are public by default.

This raises a few issues,

such as...

it may take a long time

and a lot of effort.

They could give it to one of their partners for them to use.

“with no compensation

paid to you”

Image courtesy of Master isolated images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Emotions_g96-Depressed_3d_Man_Sitting_p71118.html

Twitter gets to do what they like

with your content,

but they also

have a Copyright Policy,

which states:

Therefore, most content on Twitter

is public

and able to be viewed

by everyone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/opinion/20zittrain.html

And they get to do this

without telling you.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2339684/twitter-has-almost-430-million-inactive-users

But...

“Twitter respects the intellectual property rights of others

and expects users of the Services

to do the same”

You are responsible for,

and retain the rights to,

all content you post.

there is more to privacy than content.

Twitter’s privacy policy

allows for them to track:

Do you know

what you’re

signing up for?

https://twitter.com/tos

Agreeing to Twitter’s

Terms of Service (TOS)

constitutes a legal agreement

between yourself

and Twitter.

Twitter takes no responsibility

for any content posted,

by anybody.

Basically this means that

Twitter gives you a:

"your IP address, browser type,

operating system, the referring web page, pages visited, location, your mobile carrier, device and application IDs, search terms,

and cookie information"

But...

how many people actually

take the time

to read the TOS?

Or the Privacy Policy?

“personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and

non-exclusive license

to use the software”

https://twitter.com/privacy

https://twitter.com/tos

http://twitter.com/privacy

So Twitter actually knows

a lot more about you

than just

a name and email address.

What do Twitter do

with all the data they collect?

Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Gestures_g185-Handshaking_Business_People_p88869.html

To use the service,

Twitter requires a new user to

create an account by:

Primarily they claim to use the data to

entering a name

The data they collect could be used to identify you personally.

an email address

creating a password

“improve their Services”

and agreeing to their Terms of Service (TOS).

is a social media platform that:

This includes things like:

http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/AOL/exhibit_d.pdf

Clicking the

“Create my Account” button

automatically indicates that

you agree to these Terms.

The whole process takes

less than a minute to complete.

You can turn on

“Do Not Track”

in your Twitter settings

to increase your privacy.

“provide more relevant advertising”

”helps you create and share

ideas and information instantly,

without barriers”

“share aggregate click statistics”

But...

Twitter users must be

above 13 years of age.

In 2014

the company estimates

“tailor the Services for you based on your

visits to third-party websites”

Image courtesy of:

https://about.twitter.com/press/brand-assets

this is not enabled by default.

This is as a result of a law in the United States,

the Child Online Protection and Privacy Act (COPPA).

it has 271 million

monthly active users

This is rarely enforced.

But...

https://twitter.com/privacy

and that

500 million Tweets

are sent every day.

Twitter allows users to:

If an underage user is reported to Twitter, the account may be terminated.

You are responsible for your

own password, and Twitter

are not liable for any loss or damage that may arise

as the result of a compromised password.

https://about.twitter.com/company

create a profile

add a photo

(Hersh, 2001)

(boyd, Hargittai, Schultz, & Palfrey, 2011)

and communicate with other users

Even if an account

is terminated,

or if a user

deactivates their own account,

But sometimes...

all over the world

in real time.

You might not know your password has been compromised.

How long do they keep this data?

Twitter’s copyright license

means they still hold

rights to your content.

For some types of data relating to

third-party websites that are visited,

it is removed within 10 days.

If it’s defamatory, offensive or illegal,

you’re the one who could be held responsible,

If somebody complains

about your content,

your account may be terminated.

Other data such as your

IP address, browser, operating system

and mobile carrier,

not Twitter.

All things to think about.

may be retained

for up to 18 months.

You may be subject to

legal action.

https://twitter.com/privacy

So while Twitter is a seemingly simple

and easy social network to use...

It’s important to understand your rights.

And understand that the data

you wittingly or unwittingly provide

may come back to haunt you.

References

So while Twitter itself do not filter or censor content,

The onus is on you

to make sure the content

you post is acceptable.

You’re only allowed

to use the service

if you agree to Twitter’s rules.

Twitter maintains

a strong commitment to

In 2009, singer Courtney Love was accused of libel in the US over a Twitter post.

In Australia there have also been several cases where

individuals have been sued in court

“user privacy and transparency around

government data requests”

But...

it still pays to think carefully before posting.

Twitter don’t monitor the entire system themselves.

The case was finally decided in a California court in January 2014.

for comments posted on

social media sites.

Image courtesy of lamnee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/ghost-photo-p224857

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cases-against-andrew-farley-mike-kelly-and-marieke-hardy-show-that-twitter-users-can-be-held-to-account-for-their-comments-20140307-34clr.html

Image courtesy of:

http://www.iconarchive.com/show/all-country-flag-icons-by-custom-icon-design/Australia-Flag-icon.html

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/jury-rules-in-favor-of-courtney-love-in-twitter-libel-trial-2014-1

Image courtesy of:

http://www.iconarchive.com/show/flag-3-icons-by-custom-icon-design/United-States-Flag-icon.html

They don’t give user data to governments

without a fight.

they can change the rules

at any time

without prior notice to you.

About Twitter Fact Sheet. (2014) Retrieved October 23, 2014, from https://about.twitter.com/company

Amazed Senior Citizen Stock Photo. (2014, February 7) Retrieved October 25, 2014, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/amazed-senior-citizen-photo-p234278

Australia Flag Icon. (2011, September 2) Retrieved October 25, 2014, from http://www.iconarchive.com/show/all-country-flag-icons-by-custom-icon-design/Australia-Flag-icon.html

Barbaro, M., Zeller, T., & Hansell, S. (2006). A face is exposed for AOL searcher no. 4417749. New York Times, 9(2008), 8For.

boyd, d., Hargittai, E., Schultz, J., & Palfrey, J. (2011). Why parents help their children lie to Facebook about age: Unintended consequences of the ‘Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act&rsquo.

Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2014). Who Has Your Back? 2014: Protecting Your Data From Government Requests Retrieved October 24, 2014, from https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2014

Engel, P. (2014, January 25). Jury Rules In Favour Of Courtney Love In First-Ever Twitter Libel Trial Retrieved October 24, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com.au/jury-rules-in-favor-of-courtney-love-in-twitter-libel-trial-2014-1

Ghost Stock Image. (2013, December 28) Retrieved October 25, 2014, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/ghost-photo-p224857

Handshaking Business People Stock Photo. (2012, June 28) Retrieved October 25, 2014, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Gestures_g185-Handshaking_Business_People_p88869.html

Hersh, M., L. (2001). IS COPPA A COP OUT? THE CHILD ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT AS PROOF THAT PARENTS, NOT GOVERNMENT, SHOULD BE PROTECTING CHILDREN'S INTERESTS ON THE INTERNET. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 28, 1831-2037.

Jeffries, A. (2013, June 13). Escape from PRISM: how Twitter defies government data-sharing Retrieved October 24, 2014, from http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/13/4426420/twitter-prism-alex-macgillivray-NSA-government

Page, C. (2014, April 14). Twitter has almost 430 million inactive users Retrieved October 24, 2014, from http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2339684/twitter-has-almost-430-million-inactive-users

Twitter Privacy Policy. (2014, September 8) Retrieved October 24, 2014, from https://twitter.com/privacy

Twitter Terms of Service. (2014, September 8) Retrieved October 24, 2014, from https://twitter.com/tos

United States Flag Icon. (2009, March 10) Retrieved October 25, 2014, from http://www.iconarchive.com/show/flag-3-icons-by-custom-icon-design/United-States-Flag-icon.html

Whitbourn, M. (2014). Cases against Andrew Farley, Mike Kelly and Marieke Hardy show that Twitter users can be held to account for their comments Retrieved October 24, 2014, from http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cases-against-andrew-farley-mike-kelly-and-marieke-hardy-show-that-twitter-users-can-be-held-to-account-for-their-comments-20140307-34clr.html

Zittrain, J. (2009, July 19). Lost in the Cloud, The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/opinion/20zittrain.html?tntemail1=y&_r=2&emc=tnt&pagewanted=all

They rely on users to report

unacceptable behaviour.

But...

Twitter can terminate

your account

at any time.

they still comply with a

majority of government requests,

eventually.

Although if they consider it important enough,

they might let you know after the fact.

https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2014

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/amazed-senior-citizen-photo-p234278

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/13/4426420/twitter-prism-alex-macgillivray-NSA-government