Twitter defends data collection for ‘tailored content’ delivery
Micro blogging platform Twitter has been forced to defend itself following the emergence of reports that it has been collecting user data from its smartphone apps to provide ‘tailored content’.
This process has seen people’s timelines populated with tweets from accounts which the account holder does not follow as part of its ‘app graph’ initiative.
Explaining the measure in a blog post Twitter wrote: “To help build a more personal Twitter experience for you, we are collecting and occasionally updating the list of apps installed on your mobile device so we can deliver tailored content that you might be interested in.
“We are only collecting the list of applications you have installed. We are not collecting any data within the applications.”
Outlining the benefits of such techniques Twitter insisted that it could be used to provide better suggestions for who to follow and improve advertising by providing more relevant content.
Mindful of a backlash Twitter also offered step-by-step instructions on how to disable the feature within its Android and iOS apps.