Twitter Says "Oops! Sorry We Shared Your Data Without Permission"

An announcement by Twitter disclosed it inadvertently leaked the location of iOS users. According to Twitter, a bug in the system shared iOS location data with what they claim are their trusted partners. Those affected were iOS users with more than one Twitter account who opted-in for the exact location feature offered by Twitter. The location data was accidentally collected and shared with other accounts where the precise location feature was turned off. Oops! There’s currently no estimate of how many iOS users were affected.

So what exactly does that “oops” mean to Twitter account holders? Twitter claims they intended to remove location data before sending user data to advertisers, but things didn’t go quite as planned. Location data was mistakenly sent to advertisers for a process called real-time bidding. Real-time bidding puts consumer data up for auction to those who use it. Like any auction, data lots are sold to the highest bidder and are used by advertisers and marketers to target potential customers. In a website statement, Twitter said, “We have confirmed with our partner that the location data has not been retained and that it only existed in their systems for a short time and was then deleted as part of their normal process. We have fixed this problem and are working hard to make sure it does not happen again.” Twitter claims those iOS users caught up in the bug have already been contacted.

As so many data breaches today play the blame game with all parties involved, Twitter has stepped up and taken 100% of the responsibility itself. Management believes their user location data involved is long gone and dissolved. The company urges users to closely check their account settings to avoid sharing data they prefer to keep private. That’s smart advice for any and all apps being used, and not meant just for Twitter. Users may be very surprised to find default app settings expose quite a bit of personal data. Pay particular attention to location settings and turn off any that want to track you and with which you. Are not OK with that. Also remember that your tracking settings are only as strong as the weakest apps. So, if you use an app that is intrusive and doesn’t give you a lot of control, consider deleting it. Checking those privacy settings still allows users to have some control over the data third-parties have access to. With any app, pay particular attention to the pop-up windows asking for access to your data during downloading and don’t give administrator or full access to any app without knowing why it needs it.