SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter is to allow its users extra controls on the amount of personal data they share with apps.
In a blog post, the micro-blogging service said that a permissions screen will appear when a user links a third-party app to his or her Twitter account for the first time.
The page will provide information on what parts of the account the app can access - including posting and reading tweets and direct messages, and monitoring followers.
Twitter will also serve additional permission pages to apps with the capability to read direct messages that users have already integrated with their accounts.
Additionally, apps that "do not need" access to direct messages will have this access shut off by mid-June.
Data usage has become an increasingly important issue for online publishers, as they attempt to balance the needs of advertisers with consumer' concerns about privacy.
Lawmakers around the world are also considering changes to online data rules. Google, Facebook and Apple are to go before the US senate's commerce committee today (May 20th) to discuss the way in which they use consumers' mobile data.
In Europe, the EU's e-privacy directive could potentially oblige member states to impose much stricter laws on tracking cookies in the interests of protecting user privacy.
"We're taking this step to give more clarity and control to users about the access a third-party application has to their account," Twitter's blog post continued.
"The way users interact with Twitter's clients is not expected to change."
In a blog post, the micro-blogging service said that a permissions screen will appear when a user links a third-party app to his or her Twitter account for the first time.
The page will provide information on what parts of the account the app can access - including posting and reading tweets and direct messages, and monitoring followers.
Twitter will also serve additional permission pages to apps with the capability to read direct messages that users have already integrated with their accounts.
Additionally, apps that "do not need" access to direct messages will have this access shut off by mid-June.
Data usage has become an increasingly important issue for online publishers, as they attempt to balance the needs of advertisers with consumer' concerns about privacy.
Lawmakers around the world are also considering changes to online data rules. Google, Facebook and Apple are to go before the US senate's commerce committee today (May 20th) to discuss the way in which they use consumers' mobile data.
In Europe, the EU's e-privacy directive could potentially oblige member states to impose much stricter laws on tracking cookies in the interests of protecting user privacy.
"We're taking this step to give more clarity and control to users about the access a third-party application has to their account," Twitter's blog post continued.
"The way users interact with Twitter's clients is not expected to change."
Data sourced from Twitter; additional content by Warc staff
