Twitter stores more information about you than just your tweets. Fortunately, you can improve your privacy with a few changes to your Twitter privacy controls.
Here are the most important setting changes you should make to get your Twitter privacy back:
- Audience, media, and tagging: Make your account private and opt out of tagging
- Content you see: Update the settings
- Direct messages: Restrict who can see your IP address
- Discoverability and contacts: Adjust the settings
- Ads preferences: Disable personalized ads
- Inferred identity: Opt-out of Twitter tracking of off-site activities
- Data sharing with business partners: Turn off sharing data with business partners
- Location information: Stop location-based ad personalization on your X account
Among other data, Twitter collects and stores your IP address, which is connected to your real-time location. To block Twitter from logging your IP address, you need a VPN.
With a high-quality VPN like NordVPN, you can mask your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic, letting you go off-grid anytime you go online.
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Keep reading to find out exactly how you can change privacy settings on Twitter and keep your private information secure.
Although Twitter doesn’t seem to have as many privacy issues as other social media platforms like Facebook, it has a questionable history. From being fined by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) in 2020 to recent high-profile breaches, X users must closely monitor their privacy settings.
Twitter knows more about you than you might think, so it’s important to control what you can. This article will help you review your privacy settings in a few minutes so you can make your online experience more secure.
You can protect yourself further by installing a VPN. A good VPN like NordVPN can help you take control of your online privacy by masking your IP address and encrypting your internet traffic, making your web activities anonymous.
Where Can I Find the Twitter Privacy Settings?
The first step to taking control of your privacy settings on Twitter is locating the privacy settings you can update. We used the following steps to improve our Twitter privacy settings, starting by visiting Twitter’s privacy settings page.
- Go to “More” under the “Profile icon” in the left-hand menu. Tap “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on the “Privacy and safety” menu.
- You’ll see two sections: “Your X activity” and “Data sharing and personalization.” Each section hosts different settings to help you change your Twitter privacy settings.
How to Change Your Privacy and Safety Settings on Twitter
Now that you know where to find your Twitter privacy settings, it’s time to make some changes. Here are the steps we followed to review our Twitter privacy and safety settings and update them for optimal privacy on X.
Adjusting your privacy settings on “Your X activity”
The first Twitter privacy setting menu we’ll review is the “Your X activity” menu at More > Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Safety. This area has seven sections, but only four sections need to be changed to improve your privacy on Twitter. These are:
- Audience, media, and tagging
- Content you see
- Direct Messages
- Discoverability and contacts
We’ll guide you through these settings and show you how to change them below.
1. Opt-out of tagging with the “Audience, media, and tagging” settings on your X account
In the Audience, media, and tagging section, you can easily upgrade your privacy on Twitter with a few clicks.
- Check the box next to “Protect your posts.” This option will give you a private Twitter account so no one but the people you follow can view and interact with your tweets. Once you’ve done this, you’ll see a tiny lock next to your profile.
- Click on “Photo tagging.”
- Click on the slide next to “Photo tagging” to disallow all tagging, or check the circle next to “Only people you follow can tag you,” depending on what level of control you prefer.
2. Update the “Content you see” Twitter settings
The Twitter content settings allow you to review and update several settings. We adjusted them by following the steps below.
- Click on “Topics.”
- You’ll see the topics Twitter uses to show you targeted advertisements.
- Click “Following” to unfollow any topic you don’t want to get personalized content for.
- Return to the “Content you see” menu and click “Interests.”
- Uncheck the boxes next to an interest to stop Twitter from using it to target you with ads regarding that topic.
3. Restrict who can see your IP address in the “Direct Messages” settings
Under Twitter’s current policy, anyone who calls you can see your IP address by default, and that’s not ideal if you’re like us and want more privacy.
All you need to do is disable the audio and video calling option. This will also enhance call privacy on Twitter.
Note:
You can only enable or disable the audio and video calling option on the mobile version of Twitter/X, not the desktop version.
Of course, Twitter may still collect your IP address, even if it’s not showing it to other Twitter users. If you want to completely block Twitter from seeing your IP address, you’ll need to get a VPN app.
A virtual private network (VPN) automatically changes your IP address when you connect to a VPN server. A good VPN, like NordVPN, also encrypts your browsing and download history, so you can browse your Twitter feed anonymously. Just make sure to always connect to NordVPN (now 72% off!) before using Twitter/X.
4. Change the “Discoverability and contacts” settings on X
The “Discoverability and contacts” section of the Twitter privacy settings consists of two options. When activated, this allows people to use your Twitter email or phone number to find your Twitter profile. To deactivate this, we unchecked the boxes next to the applicable options.
Adjusting your private Twitter settings on the “Data sharing and personalization” menu
The second Twitter privacy setting menu you should review is the “Data sharing and personalization” section in the main “Privacy and safety” menu. In this section, you have four areas to review. These are:
- Ads preferences
- Inferred identity
- Data sharing with business partners
- Location information
Again, we’ll explain exactly which changes to make in detail below.
1. Disable personalized ads in your Twitter privacy settings
When you use Twitter’s standard settings, the company is allowed to use the tweets you read, reply to, and post to adjust the ads and images you see. Worse, it also tracks your other activities online and uses this to show you personalized ads. It might even share its collected data with advertisers.
Luckily, it’s fairly easy to opt out of these personalized ads. Here’s what we did:
- Click on “Ads preferences” in the “Data sharing and off-Twitter activity” settings menu.
- Uncheck the “Personalized ads” box.
If you want to see who has access to your information, return to the “Ads preferences” menu and follow the steps below.
- Choose “Your advertiser list.” You will have to enter your password to gain access to this setting.
- You’ll see how many advertisers have access to you through their partnership with Twitter. Click “Request advertiser list” to see all of them.
2. Opt out of Twitter tracking of off-site activities
The next privacy option under “Data sharing and personalization” you should opt out of is inferred identity. To opt out of this invasive Twitter tracking, we followed the simple steps below.
- Click on “Inferred identity.”
- Uncheck the box that says, “Personalize based on your inferred identity.” If left checked, Twitter can personalize your experience based on inferences that may explain more about your identity.
3. Turn off sharing data with business partners
The third section in this area of the Twitter privacy settings is “Share your data with X’s business partners.” This permits Twitter/X to share private details about you that are not included on your Twitter/X profile. This includes content you’ve looked at and your interests based on X’s profile of you.
Uncheck the box to stop X from monitoring and sharing your information with its business partners.
4. Stop location-based ad personalization on your X account
Twitter/X personalizes your advertising experience based on several factors, including where you live and where you travel. Leaving the “Personalize Based on Places You’ve Been” box checked allows X to do this by monitoring your location.
Twitter can monitor your location through a phone’s location services, through the Wi-Fi you’re using, and even potentially through your Bluetooth connection. Twitter uses this information to show you business-related ads near your current location.
To stop X from tracking your location, follow these steps:
- Click “Location information” in the “Data sharing and personalization” settings menu.
- Uncheck the box next to “Personalize based on places you’ve been.”
- To remove your location from past Tweets, click “Add location information to your Posts” and then “Remove all location information attached to your Posts.”
How to Make Your Twitter Private: Other X Settings You Can Change
Another area of Twitter settings we reviewed and updated for optimal privacy and security is the “Security and Account Access” menu. You can find it by going to “More” and then choosing “Settings and Privacy.” In this area, make sure to:
- Turn on two-factor authentication: With two-factor authentication, even if someone gets your account password, they still need the second factor to access your X account, usually in the form of a code sent to your phone. Twitter enhanced privacy with this feature.
- Opt into the additional password reset protection: Here, you get an extra layer of security as it will request additional information before allowing a foreign body or yourself to reset your X account password.
- Remove third-party access: Remove any third-party app connected to your account to reduce any chance of your data getting shared with them by X.
- Disconnect unauthorized sessions: Once you receive a notification about an authorized log-in to your account, disconnect that session immediately because it means someone else has access to your X account on another device.
- Manage Google and Apple accounts attached to your X account: You can leave the accounts you trust and disconnect the rest from your X account.
Why Change Your Privacy Settings on Twitter
When an app personalizes your experience, it often uses your information to make the advertisements, banner images, and videos you see more relevant. When it comes to Twitter, there are three major reasons why you should update your privacy settings:
- Reduce Twitter’s control over your information: Twitter has access to much of your information and can even monitor your online activity outside the platform; updating your privacy settings can reduce their reach, even if just a little.
- Reduce third-party access to your information: Reducing third-party access to your X account can help prevent unauthorized data sharing or breaches.
- Reduce what other Twitter users can see about you: Other users can see a certain amount of information about you, such as your tweets, your profile, and who you follow. Changing your settings lets you limit this to only people you trust.
X has strived to improve its privacy policy to give users more control. These changes include allowing users to opt out of tracking and having their information sold to third parties. If you don’t want your information to be used to fill Twitter’s pockets, it’s time to update your X privacy settings.
Make Your Twitter (Now X) More Private
Your online privacy is important. While you may be comfortable sharing some information, you don’t have to make all your information available to advertisers and other businesses. This is why you should select settings that give you more control over your privacy.
To safeguard your online privacy, try using a virtual private network (VPN) and get real-time online security. A quality VPN like NordVPN lets you browse Twitter anonymously. It also protects you from third-party companies that track your information online by encrypting your internet traffic. Once you connect with NordVPN, you don’t need to lift another muscle!
Be sure to check out our other articles on safeguarding your privacy settings on different online platforms:
- How to Change Your WhatsApp Privacy Settings (2024)
- How to Change Your Google Privacy Settings
- Instagram Privacy Settings: How to Secure Your Account in 2024
If you still have questions about the best settings for your Twitter privacy settings, we have you covered. Here are the most frequently asked questions about the privacy settings on Twitter.
“Unprivating” your account means making your posts/tweets public. Follow these easy steps to make your posts public:
- Open Twitter.
- Click on the “More” button in the bottom left corner of your screen.
- Click on “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap on the “Privacy and safety” settings and then “Audience, media, and tagging.”
- You’ll see the option “Protect your posts.” Uncheck the box to make posts on your account public.
If you want to change sensitive content settings on Twitter to see sensitive content on Twitter, follow these simple steps:
- Open Twitter.
- Click on the “More” button in the bottom left corner of your screen.
- Tap on “Settings and privacy.”
- Click the “Privacy and safety” settings and then “Content you see.”
- You’ll see the option “Display media that may contain sensitive content.” Check the box to see sensitive content on X.
And just like that, you’ve updated you preference in the Twitter sensitive content setting.
Because of Apple’s guidelines, Twitter restricts potentially sensitive content on iOS devices. You don’t even have the option to allow or disallow viewing sensitive content on your iOS device. If you’re wondering how to see sensitive content on Twitter or potentially sensitive content, you may have to enable it from the browser or web version of X.
To change privacy settings on your X account from private to public, you only need to uncheck the “Protect your posts” option in the “Audience, media and tagging” section.
Can Twitter see what you search and does Twitter track your searches? Yes it can, and this tracking includes the search terms you enter and the tweets you interact with as a result of that search term.
Does the company keep your Twitter search history private? The answer is yes. But the real question is, who does it keep your Twitter search history private from? Other users can’t see your Twitter searches because it’s personal to only you. However, X may use this information to personalize your experience with the app.
