Location Data of Some Twitter Users Leaked

Location Data of Some Twitter Users Leaked

A bug in the iOS Twitter app impacted the privacy of its users.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • May 15, 2019

Users of the Twitter iOS app may have had their location data made vulnerable due to a bug in the platform. 

"We have discovered that we were inadvertently collecting and sharing iOS location data with one of our trusted partners in certain circumstances," Twitter said.

The company says that the bug only appears in the iOS app and only with users who have added a second Twitter account to the platform on their smartphone. If they allowed Twitter to access precise location data on one account, then that setting was automatically applied to both accounts managed via the iOS app. 

This means that accounts that did not give consent to share location data, it was automatically turned on and shared with "a trusted partner during an advertising process known as real-time bidding."

Twitter says their company was the only one to receive the location data and that the advertiser was not privy to that information, which was provided "fuzzed" geo-location data that was scrambled to reduce accuracy.

"We have confirmed with out partner that the location data has not been retained and that it only existed in their systems for a short time, and then was deleted as part of their normal process," the company said on its help site.

This is the fourth Twitter bug disclosed on the Twitter platform in the past year. In September 2018, Twitter said an API bug inadvertently shared some users' private messages with developers of apps they did not authorize to receive the data. Other bugs included a nation-state hacking group accessing data and private tweets made public to all users in January 2019.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Gaining a Competitive Edge

    Ask most companies about their future technology plans and the answers will most likely include AI. Then ask how they plan to deploy it, and that is where the responses may start to vary. Every company has unique surveillance requirements that are based on market focus, scale, scope, risk tolerance, geographic area and, of course, budget. Those factors all play a role in deciding how to configure a surveillance system, and how to effectively implement technologies like AI. Read Now

  • 6 Ways Security Awareness Training Empowers Human Risk Management

    Organizations are realizing that their greatest vulnerability often comes from within – their own people. Human error remains a significant factor in cybersecurity breaches, making it imperative for organizations to address human risk effectively. As a result, security awareness training (SAT) has emerged as a cornerstone in this endeavor because it offers a multifaceted approach to managing human risk. Read Now

  • The Stage is Set

    The security industry spans the entire globe, with manufacturers, developers and suppliers on every continent (well, almost—sorry, Antarctica). That means when regulations pop up in one area, they often have a ripple effect that impacts the entire supply chain. Recent data privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CPRA in California made waves when they first went into effect, forcing businesses to change the way they approach data collection and storage to continue operating in those markets. Even highly specific regulations like the U.S.’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) can have international reverberations – and this growing volume of legislation has continued to affect global supply chains in a variety of different ways. Read Now

  • Access Control Technology

    As we move swiftly toward the end of 2024, the security industry is looking at the trends in play, what might be on the horizon, and how they will impact business opportunities and projections. Read Now

Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities 3

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises. 3

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure. 3