X (formerly Twitter): Surveillance Profile

To reduce data collection on X (formerly Twitter), start by going to Settings > Privacy and Safety. Under 'Data Sharing and Personalization,' disable 'Personalize based on your inferred identity,' 'Personalize based on places you have been,' and all other personalization toggles. Turn off 'Allow additional information sharing with business partners.' Under 'Ads Preferences,' disable 'Personalized ads' and remove all inferred interests from your profile. Go to 'Off-Twitter activity' and disable 'Allow use of where you see Twitter content across the web.' Under 'Discoverability and contacts,' disable 'Let others find you by your email' and 'Let others find you by your phone,' and delete any synced contacts. Under Privacy and Safety > Direct Messages, disable read receipts. Consider protecting your tweets (making your account private) to limit data scraping. Review 'Connected Apps' and revoke access for any apps you no longer use. In 'Location Information,' disable precise location tagging and delete all location data. Do not use Twitter's built-in browser when clicking links. On your device, revoke X's access to contacts, location, and photos when not needed. Use a privacy-focused browser with uBlock Origin to access X via the web rather than the mobile app, as the app collects significantly more device data. Be aware that X's privacy practices have become less transparent since the ownership change in 2022, with reduced privacy staff and changing policies. For a privacy-respecting alternative, consider joining a Mastodon instance, which is decentralized, open-source, and does not track users for advertising. If you keep your X account, regularly download your archive and delete old tweets using tools like Semiphemeral.