Meltwater has licensed Twitter data since 2010, utilizing multiple APIs to capture and display data across multiple areas of our product. In order to maintain that relationship, and share Twitter data with our clients, we must agree to Twitter's Terms of Service. Part of this agreement between Twitter and Meltwater sets rules on the use cases allowed to access Twitter via Meltwater.
Approved Use Cases for Twitter
Our agreement with Twitter approves us serving Twitter content to customers for the following use cases:
Brand monitoring and analysis | Competitive monitoring and analysis | Industry monitoring and analysis |
Lead generation | Customer care | Consumer insights |
Content distribution | API distribution | Social publishing |
Social engagement | Anomaly detection | Social echo |
Influencer marketing |
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Prohibited Uses of Twitter Data
In Twitter’s Developer Agreement, several behaviors are prohibited for all entities and individuals using Twitter data. Unless explicitly approved otherwise by Twitter in writing, No Customer may use or knowingly display, distribute, or otherwise make Twitter Content, or information derived from Twitter Content, available to any entity for the purpose of:
Conducting or providing surveillance or gathering intelligence, including but not limited to investigating or tracking Twitter users or Twitter Content;
Conducting or providing analysis or research for any unlawful or discriminatory purpose
Sensitive events (including but not limited to protests, rallies, security threats, or community organizing meetings)
Targeting, segmenting, or profiling individuals based on sensitive personal information, including their health (e.g., pregnancy), negative financial status or condition, political affiliation or beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical affiliation or beliefs, sex life, or sexual orientation, trade union membership.
There are also additional restrictions and an approval process around supplying Twitter content to ANY public sector/government customer. Meltwater needs to get approval for any Government or Public Sector end-user before they can access Twitter data using our product, and that approval will hinge on risk factors like location, entity type, and proposed use case. These restrictions apply to national, state, local government entities along with public schools, universities, and affiliates.
For example, a local Police Force or a School’s Public Safety team would likely be prohibited from monitoring Twitter mentions of protests and rallies surrounding social justice issues as it conflicts with Surveillance, Profiling, and Sensitive Events referenced in the earlier Twitter Terms of Use.
Twitter will assess each case on its merits, and determine if they approve the Government customer and their proposed use case.
Meltwater has multiple checks and balances in place to ensure that non-approved Government customers can not access full Twitter content.
Our General Terms and Conditions include the below, informing all Meltwater customers of their obligations to Twitter when using the Meltwater products:
Subject to the approval of Twitter, Customer may receive content from Twitter or post content to Twitter (“Twitter Content”) pursuant to this Agreement, and Customer represents that it has read, understands, and agrees to be bound by Twitter’s terms of service located at https://twitter.com/en/tos. Meltwater or Twitter may terminate Customer’s access to Twitter Content if Meltwater or Twitter reasonably believes that Customer is violating Twitter’s terms of service.
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