About Public and Protected Accounts

Public or protected?

When you sign up for Twitter, you have the option of keeping your account public (the default account setting) or protecting your account.

• Public accounts have profile pages that are visible to everyone.
• Protected accounts require manual approval of each and every person who may view that account's Tweets. Only approved followers can view Tweets made on a protected account.

Why Would I Protect My Account?

If the idea of strangers reading your Twitter updates makes you feel a little weird, try protecting your profile at first. You can always change your mind later. When you protect your account, the following restrictions are put in place:

• People will have to request to follow you and each follow request will need approval
• Your Profile and Tweets will only be visible to users you've approved, meaning that other users will not be able to retweet your Tweets
• Protected Profiles' Tweets will not appear in Twitter search
• @replies sent to people who aren't following you will not be seen
• You cannot share permanent links to your Tweets with anyone other than your approved followers

How Do I Protect My Account?

You can protect your profile in your account settings page, following these steps:

1. Log in to your Twitter account
2. Visit your Account Settings Page by selecting Settings from the drop-down menu on the right hand side of your screen.
3. Scroll down and check the box next to Protect my Tweets
4. Save your changes

When you navigate to your home page after protecting your profile, you'll see a notice reminding you that your profile is now protected. Protected accounts can always go public by un-checking the box in account settings.