02/20/2012
Twitter keeps contact information without consent
When Twitter users search for friends to add via their mobile phone’s contact list, they allow Twitter access to their contact information and data. And, Twitter holds onto that information for up to a year and a half – all without consent of the users. Twitter could potentially sell user information to third-party investors, but apps like Twitter typically just store users’ contact info to connect users with friends who join the service at a later date.
■Class discussion: Twitter is just one of several recent revelations about online privacy and data security. Find newspaper reports about other social networks, smart phone apps and computer browsers that have been criticized over privacy and security. Are you concerned about your personal information being misused? How? Are laws needed to protect your privacy? What privacy laws do other countries have?