About private information on Twitter

Twitter Rules: You may not publish or post other people's private information without their express authorization and permission. Definitions of private information may vary depending on local laws.

Rationale

Posting someone’s private information online may pose serious safety and security risks for the person whose information is shared. As such, this is considered one of the most serious violations of the Twitter Rules.

When this applies

Some examples of private information include (but may not be limited to) private contact or financial information, such as:

• credit card information
• social security or other national identity numbers
• private residences, personal home addresses, or other locations that are considered private
• non-public, personal phone numbers
• non-public, personal email addresses 

Some examples of information that is not considered private include:

• name
• birthdate or age
• business addresses 
• places of education or employment
• descriptions of appearance

Please keep in mind that although you may consider certain information to be private, not all postings of such information may be a violation of this policy. We consider the nature and public availability of the information posted, local privacy laws, and other case-specific facts. For example, if information was previously posted or displayed elsewhere on the Internet prior to being put on Twitter (e.g., someone lists their personal phone number on their public blog), it may not be a violation of this policy. However, if the publicly available information is being shared to harass or incite harassment, then we may take enforcement action under our abusive behavior policy.

We also acknowledge that there are times when people may want some forms of their personal contact information shared publicly. Examples include:

• posting personal phone or email addresses for professional networking
• posting personal addresses to coordinate social events
• posting personal addresses publicly to ask for help after a natural disaster

To help verify the private nature of the information and determine whether the subject wants it shared on the platform, we may need to hear from the person or an authorized representative of the person whose information has been posted. We will reply to those reports via email and request that the subject provide documentation to verify their identity. Please note that this documentation will be destroyed once it is no longer needed by Twitter to evaluate the case and will not be shared with any third parties. We will not share any details with the violator about who reported this content.

Consequences

The consequences for violating our private information policy depend on the severity of the violation and the person’s previous record of violations.

The first time someone violates this policy they will be required to remove the violating Tweet and/or temporarily locked out of their account before they can Tweet again. People who violate this policy more than once and/or accounts dedicated to posting private information may be suspended.

Read our frequently asked questions about reporting private information posted on Twitter.

Learn more about protecting your private information on Twitter and other websites.