Is Twitter the next Facebook?

So, I see a local entertainment monthly publication sitting on the news stand and it's the "outdoor issue" so I pick it up when I normally wouldn't. I'm browsing through and come across this article on Twitter.com. It's a "messaging site" that allows you to communicate "what you're doing" via their website, IM's, and text messaging. I though it sounded like a good idea for things that I'd like other people to know, but doesn't warrent a "bulletin" or as on this site a "thread". But, after I realized what Facebook was all about I had to go check their Privacy Sharing policy. Below is what I found.

WARNING:
Visiting THIS SITE will record the websites you visit and other information from your browser.

From Twitter's Privacy Agreement:

Log Data
When you visit the Site, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website ("Log Data" ). This Log Data may include information such as your IP address, browser type or the domain from which you are visiting, the web-pages you visit, the search terms you use, and any advertisements on which you click. For most users accessing the Internet from an Internet service provider the IP address will be different every time you log on. We use Log Data to monitor the use of the Site and of our Service, and for the Site"™s technical administration. We do not associate your IP address with any other personally identifiable information to identify you personally, except in case of violation of the Terms of Service

Cookies
Like many websites, we also use "cookie" technology to collect additional website usage data and to improve the Site and our service. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your computer"™s hard disk. We do not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information. Twitter may use both session cookies and persistent cookies to better understand how you interact with the Site and our Service, to monitor aggregate usage by our users and web traffic routing on the Site, and to improve the Site and our services. A session cookie enables certain features of the Site and our service and is deleted from your computer when you disconnect from or leave the Site. A persistent cookie remains after you close your browser and may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to the Site. Persistent cookies can be removed by following your web browser help file directions. Most Internet browsers automatically accept cookies. You can instruct your browser, by editing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit.
Information Sharing and Disclosure

Service Providers
We engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to us, including, without limitation, hosting and maintenance, customer relationship, database storage and management, and direct marketing campaigns. We will share your personally identifiable information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these functions and provide such services, and only pursuant to binding contractual obligations requiring such third parties to maintain the privacy and security of your data.

Compliance with Laws and Law Enforcement
Twitter cooperates with government and law enforcement officials or private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We may disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims, legal process (including subpoenas), to protect the property and rights of Twitter or a third party, the safety of the public or any person, to prevent or stop any illegal, unethical, or legally actionable activity, or to comply with the law.

Business Transfers
Twitter may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of its assets, including your personally identifiable information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy. You will have the opportunity to opt out of any such transfer if the new entity's planned processing of your information differs materially from that set forth in this Privacy Policy.

A lot of this Privacy Sharing is standard practice, it would see, in this day and age. Is there no more sites that will not sell your soul to make a penny?! What bothers me is the fact that Twitter is ready and willing to give any and all information about it's users to the government. Makes me wonder what's actually a private venture and what's government sponsored.

It could be maybe we can look into who invested in the startup of Twitter. They found all that information about Facebook, I'm sure with a little digging through Google we can find something. I'm willing to do what I can does anybody else want to help?

I've been trying to research it, but not much on Google. And I think in the future, we're going to continue to have a hard time finding certain things on Google pertaining to governmental tracking and monitoring because Google is pursuing the same interests, only for "marketing reasons."

Can you U2U me the information you have, I might have figured something out.

Originally posted by seisen
Can you U2U me the information you have, I might have figured something out.

Unfortunately I've come across very little info thus far. Though I did come across this little peice of info:

Facebook now allows developers to build applications folks can install and use inside Facebook. It's pretty awesome. So, if you're on Facebook, be sure to install our Twitter application!

It appears Facebook is attempting to integrade it's data logging into multiple programs including Twitter.

[edit on 8-6-2007 by tyranny22]

Here is what I found and it sounds like a long shot.

Odeo Inc. owns twitter, First Round Capital funded Odeo Inc., Odeo Inc. was sold to Evan Williams who now runs twitter. If you go look at the bio's of the partners of First Round Capital he has worked with numerous governement agencies. This is why I said it might be a long shot.


First Round Capital Bio