Developer Policy

Effective: April 6, 2017.

In addition to the Developer Agreement, this Developer Policy (“Policy”) provides rules and guidelines for developers who interact with Twitter’s ecosystem of applications, services, website, web pages and content (“Twitter Services”). Policy violations are also considered violations of the Developer Agreement. Take a look at the Definitions for the meaning of capitalized words used in this Policy.  These policies may be changed from time to time without notice. Please check here for any updates.

I. Guiding Principles

A. A Few Key Points

  1. Keep any API keys or other access credentials private and use only as permitted.
  2. Respect our requirements on how to display and interact with users’ content.
  3. If your application will need more than 1 million user tokens, you must contact us about your Twitter API access, as you may be subject to additional terms.
  4. Twitter may monitor your use of the Twitter API to improve the Twitter Services, examine commercial use and ensure your compliance with this Policy.
  5. Remember, Twitter may suspend or revoke access to the Twitter API if we believe you are in violation of this Policy. Do not apply for or register additional API tokens if Twitter has suspended your account. Instead, contact us.

B. Maintain the Integrity of Twitter’s Products

  1. Follow the Display Requirements and Twitter Rules. If your Service facilitates or induces users to violate the Twitter Rules, you must figure out how to prevent the abuse or Twitter may suspend or terminate your access to the Twitter API. We’ve provided guidance in our Abuse Prevention and Security help page.
  2. If your Service submits content to Twitter that includes a Twitter username, submit the correct Twitter username (“@username”).
  3. Promptly respond to Content changes reported through the Twitter API, such as deletions or the public/protected status of Tweets.
  4. Do not modify, translate or delete a portion of the Content.
  5. Maintain the features and functionality of Content and Twitter API. Do not interfere with, intercept, disrupt, filter, or disable any features of Twitter or the Twitter API, including the Content of embedded Tweets and embedded timelines.
  6. Only surface Twitter activity as it surfaced on Twitter. For example, your Service should execute the unlike and delete actions by removing all relevant Content, not by publicly displaying to other users that the Tweet is no longer liked or has been deleted.
  7. Do not exceed or circumvent limitations on access, calls, sharing, privacy settings, or use permitted in this Policy, or as otherwise set forth on the Developer Site, or communicated to you by Twitter.
  8. Do not remove or alter any proprietary notices or marks on Content or the Twitter API.
  9. Do not (and do not allow others to) aggregate, cache, or store location data and other geographic information contained in the Content, except as part of a Tweet. Any use of location data or geographic information on a standalone basis is prohibited.

C. Respect Users’ Control and Privacy

  1. Get the user’s express consent before you do any of the following:
    1. Take any actions on a user’s behalf, including posting Content, following/unfollowing other users, modifying profile information, or adding hashtags or other data to the user’s Tweets. A user authenticating through your Service does not constitute user consent.
    2. Republish Content accessed by means other than via the Twitter API or other Twitter tools.
    3. Use a user’s Content to promote a commercial product or service, either on a commercial durable good or as part of an advertisement.
    4. Store non-public Content such as direct messages or other private or confidential information.
    5. Share or publish protected Content, private or confidential information.
    6. Configure media to be sent in a Direct Message as "shared" (i.e. reusable across multiple Direct Messages). You must also provide the user with clear notice that "shared" media sent in a Direct Message will be viewable by anyone with the media's URL.
  2. Do not (and do not permit others to) associate the Content with any person, household, device, browser, or other individual identifier, unless you or the entity on whose sole behalf you make such an association do so (a) with the express opt-in consent of the applicable individual; or (b) based solely on publicly available data and/or data provided directly by the applicable individual that the individual would reasonably expect to be used for that purpose.
  3. Take all reasonable efforts to do the following, provided that when requested by Twitter, you must promptly take such actions:
    1. Delete Content that Twitter reports as deleted or expired;
    2. Change treatment of Content that Twitter reports is subject to changed sharing options (e.g., become protected); and
    3. Modify Content that Twitter reports has been modified.
  4. If your Service allows users to post Content to Twitter, then, before publishing, show the user exactly what will be published, including whether any geotags will be added to the Content.
  5. If your Service allows users to post Content to your Service and Twitter, then, before publishing to the Service:
    1. Explain how you will use the Content;
    2. Obtain proper permission to use the Content; and
    3. Continue to use such Content in accordance with this Policy in connection with the Content.
  6. Display your Service’s privacy policy to users before download, installation or sign up of your application. Your privacy policy must be consistent with all applicable laws, and be no less protective of end users than Twitter’s Privacy Policy located at http://twitter.com/privacy. You must comply with your privacy policy, which must clearly disclose the information you collect from users, how you use and share that information (including with Twitter), and how users can contact you with inquiries and requests regarding their information. If for any reason you are unable to comply with your privacy policy or any privacy requirement of the Developer Agreement or Policy, you must promptly inform Twitter and take reasonable and appropriate steps to remedy any non-compliance, or cease your access to the Twitter API and use of all Twitter Content.
  7. If your Service uses cookies, disclose in your privacy policy:
    1. Whether third parties collect user information on your Service and across other websites or online services;
    2. Information about user options for cookie management and whether you honor the Do Not Track setting in supporting web browsers.
  8. If your Service adds location information to users’ Tweets:
    1. Disclose when you add location information, whether as a geotag or annotations data, and whether you add a place or specific coordinates.
    2. Comply with Geo Developers Guidelines if your application allows users to Tweet with their location.
  9. Do not store Twitter passwords.

D. Clearly Identify Your Service

  1. Make sure users understand your identity and the source and purpose of your Service. For example:
    1. Don’t use a name or logo that falsely implies you or your company is related to another business or person.
    2. Don’t use a shortened URL for your Service that attempts to mask the destination site
    3. Don’t use a URL for your Service that directs users to
      1. a site that is unrelated to your Service
      2. a site that encourages users to violate the Twitter Rules
      3. a spam or malware site.
  2. Do not replicate, frame, or mirror the Twitter website or its design.

E. Keep Twitter Spam Free

  1. Follow the Abuse and Spam rules here.
  2. Comply with the automation rules if your Service performs automatic actions.
  3. Do not do any of the following:
    1. Mass-register applications.
    2. Create tokens/applications to sell names, prevent others from using names, or other commercial use.
    3. Use third-party content feeds to update and maintain accounts under those third parties’ names.
    4. Name squat by submitting multiple applications with the same function under different names.
    5. Publish links to malicious content.
    6. Publish pornographic or obscene images to user profile images and background images.

F. Be a Good Partner to Twitter

  1. Follow the guidelines for using Tweets in broadcast if you display Tweets offline.
  2. If you provide Content to third parties, including downloadable datasets of Content or an API that returns Content, you will only distribute or allow download of Tweet IDs and/or User IDs.
    1. You may, however, provide export via non-automated means (e.g., download of spreadsheets or PDF files, or use of a “save as” button) of up to 50,000 public Tweets and/or User Objects per user of your Service, per day.
    2. Any Content provided to third parties via non-automated file download remains subject to this Policy.
  3. Use and display Twitter Marks solely to identify Twitter as the source of Content.
  4. Comply with Twitter Brand Assets and Guidelines.
  5. Do not do any of the following:
    1. Use a single application API key for multiple use cases or multiple application API keys for the same use case.
    2. Charge a premium above your Service’s standard data and usage rates for access to Content via SMS or USSD.
    3. Sell or receive monetary or virtual compensation for Tweet actions or the placement of Tweet actions on your Service, such as, but not limited to follow, retweet, like, and reply.
    4. Do not use, access or analyze the Twitter API to monitor or measure the availability, performance, functionality, usage statistics or results of Twitter Services or for any other benchmarking or competitive purposes, including without limitation, monitoring or measuring:
      1. the responsiveness of Twitter Services; or
      2. aggregate Twitter user metrics such as total number of active users, accounts, user engagements or account engagements.
    5. Use Twitter Content, by itself or bundled with third party data, to target users with advertising outside of the Twitter platform, including without limitation on other advertising networks, via data brokers, or through any other advertising or monetization services.
    6. Use Twitter Marks, or Twitter Certified Products Program badges, or similar marks or names in a manner that creates a false sense of endorsement, sponsorship, or association with Twitter.
    7. Use the Twitter Verified Account badge, Verified Account status, or any other enhanced user categorization on Twitter Content other than that reported to you by Twitter through the API.

G. Avoid Replicating the Core Twitter Experience

  1. Twitter discourages online services from replicating Twitter Service’s core user experience or features.
  2. The following rules apply solely to Services or applications that attempt to replicate Twitter’s core user experience:
    1. You must obtain our permission to have more than 100,000 user tokens, and you may be subject to additional terms.
    2. Use the Twitter API as provided by Twitter for functionalities in your Service that are substantially similar to a Twitter Service feature and present this to your users as the default option.
    3. Display a prominent link or button in your Service that directs new users to Twitter’s sign-up functionality.
    4. Do not do the following:
      1. Pay, or offer to pay, third parties for distribution. This includes offering compensation for downloads (other than transactional fees) or other mechanisms of traffic acquisition.
      2. Arrange for your Service to be pre-installed on any device, promoted as a "zero-rated" service, or marketed as part of a specialized data plan.
      3. Use Twitter Content or other data collected from users to create or maintain a separate status update or social network database or service.

H. Engage in Appropriate Commercial Use

  1. Advertising Around Twitter Content
    1. You may advertise around and on sites that display Tweets, but you may not place any advertisements within the Twitter timeline on your Service other than Twitter Ads or advertisements made available through the official TwitterKit integration with MoPub. Access to MoPub ads through TwitterKit requires a MoPub supply account and is subject to MoPub terms of service & policies.
    2. Your advertisements cannot resemble or reasonably be confused by users as a Tweet.
    3. You may advertise in close proximity to the Twitter timeline (e.g., banner ads above or below timeline), but there must be a clear separation between Twitter content and your advertisements.
  2. Compensation
    1. When Content is the primary basis of an advertising or sponsorship sale you make, you must compensate Twitter, recoupable against any fees payment to Twitter for data licensing.
    2. Twitter reserves the right to serve advertising via Twitter APIs (“Twitter Ads”). If you decide to serve Twitter Ads once we start delivering them, we will share a portion of advertising revenue with you in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions.

II. Rules for Specific Twitter Services or Features

A. Twitter Login

  1. Present users with easy to find options to log into and out of Twitter, for example, via the OAuth protocol or Twitter Kit.
  2. Provide users without a Twitter account the opportunity to create a new Twitter account.
  3. Display the Connect with Twitter option at least as prominently as the most prominent of any other third party social networking sign-up or sign-in marks and branding appearing on your Service.

B. Social Updates

  1. If you allow users to create social updates from your own social service or a third party social networking, micro-blogging, or status update provider integrated into your Service ("Update"), you must display a prominent option to publish that content to Twitter.
  2. If Updates are longer than 140 characters or not text, you must display a prominent link to publish that content to Twitter and:
    1. URLs must direct users to the page where that content is displayed. You may require users to sign in to access that page, but the content must not otherwise be restricted from being viewed.
    2. URLs must not direct users to interstitial or intermediate pages.

C. Twitter Identity

  1. Once a user has authenticated via Connect with Twitter via your Service, you must clearly display the user’s Twitter identity via your Service. Twitter identity includes visible display of the user’s avatar, Twitter user name and the Twitter bird mark.
  2. Displays of the user’s followers on your Service must clearly show that the relationship is associated with the Twitter Service.

D. Twitter Cards

  1. Develop your Card to have the same quality experience across all platforms where Cards are displayed.
  2. If your Service provides a logged-in experience, the experience prior to a user’s login must be of equivalent quality and user value.
  3. Mark your Card as ‘true’ for sensitive media if such media can be displayed.
  4. Use HTTPS for hosting all assets within your Card.
  5. For video and audio content:
    1. Default to ‘sound off’ for videos that automatically play content.
    2. Include stop or pause controls.
  6. Do not do any of the following:
    1. Exceed or circumvent Twitter’s limitations placed on any Cards, including the Card’s intended use.
    2. Attach the App Card to a user’s Tweet, unless the user is explicitly promoting or referring to the app in the Tweet.
    3. Place third-party sponsored content within Cards without Twitter’s prior approval.
    4. Include content or actions within your Card that are not contextually relevant to the user’s Tweet text and Tweet entities, such as URLs and media.
    5. Generate active mixed content browser warnings.
    6. Attach monetary incentives or transactions (including virtual currency) to activities that occur within the Card or on Twitter from your Card.
    7. Apply for Cards access for domains you do not manage to prevent others from registering or utilizing Cards on those domains.

    E. Twitter for Websites

    1. If you expect your embedded Tweets and embedded timelines to exceed 10 million daily impressions, you must contact us about your Twitter API access, as you may be subject to additional terms.
    2. If you use TFW widgets, you must ensure that an end user is provided with clear and comprehensive information about, and consents to, the storing and accessing of cookies or other information on the end user’s device where providing such information and obtaining such consent is required by law.
    3. If you operate a Service targeted to children under 13, you must opt out of tailoring Twitter in any Twitter for Websites button, embedded Tweet, or embedded timeline on your Service by setting the opt-out parameter to be true.

    F. Definitions

    1. Content ‒ Tweets, Tweet IDs, Twitter end user profile information, and any other data and information made available to you through the Twitter API or by any other means authorized by Twitter, and any copies and derivative works thereof.
    2. Developer Site ‒ Twitter’s developer site located at https://dev.twitter.com.
    3. Tweet ‒ A short-form and/or multimedia-based posting that is publicly displayed on Twitter Services.
    4. Tweet ID ‒ A unique identification number generated for each Tweet.
    5. Twitter API ‒ The Twitter Application Programming Interface (“API”), Software Development Kit (“SDK”) and/or the related documentation, data, code, and other materials provided by Twitter, as updated from time to time, including without limitation through the Developer Site.
    6. Twitter Marks ‒ The Twitter name, or logos that Twitter makes available to you, including via the Developer Site.
    7. Service - Your websites, applications and other offerings that display or otherwise use Content.
    8. User ID - Unique identification numbers generated for each User that do not contain any personally identifiable information such as Twitter usernames or users’ names.