Twitter Launches Updated, Simplified Privacy Policy, and New Game to Highlight Protection Options

As it wades through the likely final stages before Elon Musk takes over at the helm of the app, Twitter is rolling out a range of updates to ensure that its projects are all tied up ahead of the company’s next stage – whatever that may be.

Today, Twitter has launched an updated privacy policy, and a redesigned privacy site, which also includes a new, interactive game designed to help users better understand their privacy and data options in the app.

As explained by Twitter:

“It shouldn’t take a law degree to understand privacy policies, so we’ve rewritten ours to try and make it useful – emphasizing clear language and moving away from legal jargon. Beginning today, you can see the updates to our privacy policy and terms of service in the app via settings and on our redesigned privacy policy site.”

As you can see in the example above, the new Twitter privacy policy site includes simpler language, and more specific pointers to relevant sections of its policies to help users understand all the key elements.

Twitter says that it’s rewritten its policies ‘with less legalese’, while it’s also split the policy display into three primary sections to make it easier to find the right info. Those sections are: data collection, data use, and data sharing. 

In addition, you can also download a PDF of the full privacy policy with a tap of a button from the main page.

But the most interesting new element here is its ‘Twitter Data Dash’ privacy education game, which is designed to take you through Twitter’s various policy elements via a fun, engaging 2D side-scrolling game.

And it sort of works. It’s kind of like a bad version of Super Mario, and the privacy pointers and insights aren’t really upfront or present enough to be a major element. But then again, Twitter deserves credit for trying something new here, and maybe youngsters will have more patience and interest in the game (I gave up pretty quick), which could help them better understand their privacy options.

Though Twitter’s age minimum is 13, so I don’t know how much use it will really see.

In any event, Twitter’s trying to make a very stale subject more engaging, in order to improve digital literacy, and ensure more of its users understand their privacy and protection options, which is a positive step, whether it catches on or not.

I don’t know that any of these changes will be truly effective in getting more users to be more aware of these elements – as most people just want to log on and check out the latest updates. But if you do go looking for such info, the new format could be of benefit to a broader cross-section of users, which could make this a valuable update across the board.

You can check out Twitter’s updated privacy policy here.