Twitter rule tweaks opens door to ads

Sep 11, 2009 | Uncategorized

Twitter has updated its terms of service, hinting that the micro-blogging site may allow ads in the near future. Writing on Twitter’s official blog, founder Biz Stone said: “We leave the door open for advertising. We’d like to keep our options open, as we’ve said before.” Stone added that the company was wary of annoying […]

Twitter has updated its terms of service, hinting that the micro-blogging site may allow ads in the near future. Writing on Twitter’s official blog, founder Biz Stone said: “We leave the door open for advertising. We’d like to keep our options open, as we’ve said before.” Stone added that the company was wary of annoying its growing base of users by bombarding them with ads. Twitter, which has 45 million monthly visitors worldwide, has kept its new clause on advertising open-ended, and stressed it was subject to change.


“The services may include advertisements, which may be targeted to the content or information on the services, queries made through the services, or other information,” the terms of service read. “The types and extent of advertising by Twitter on the services are subject to change.”
“In consideration for Twitter granting you access to and use of the services, you agree that Twitter and its third-party providers and partners may place such advertising on the services….”
Stone also addressed the topics of abusive behavior and spam. The four key changes to the terms of service read as follows:
Advertising–In the Terms, we leave the door open for advertising. We’d like to keep our options open as we’ve said before.
Ownership–Twitter is allowed to “use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute” your tweets because that’s what we do. However, they are your tweets and they belong to you.
APIs–The apps that have grown around the Twitter platform are flourishing and adding value to the ecosystem. You authorize us to make content available via our APIs. We’re also working on guidelines for use of the API.
Spam–Abusive behavior and spam are also outlined in these terms according to the rules we’ve been operating under for some time.
http://twitter.com/tos

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