A new error on Twitter caused Android users' private tweets to be revealed

Twitter users on Android devices should double-check their accounts, especially if they have ever sent private tweets between 2014 and 2019.

In a statement posted on Twitter's help forum on Thursday, the social network revealed details around a privacy-related error that seriously affected Twitter users on the Web. Android device, namely with protected tweets (private tweets) that they have posted.

According to Twitter, if users activate the option Protect your Tweets in the Twitter app settings for Android, and make other updates to their account settings, it's more likely to install protected tweets. disabled that the user is not aware of.

In addition, Twitter also said that this security hole will directly affect Twitter users of Android version between November 3, 2014 and January 14, 2019. Twitter for iOS and on the web platform will not be affected by this problem.

In their revelations, the social network also said it had contacted some users whose settings were changed due to this error.However, the company also called on all Twitter users to better check their settings, because the company could not determine whether each account was affected by this security vulnerability or not.

In another announcement with the press, Twitter made it clear that users who might be affected by this security error would have to change their settings (such as the account's email) in the Twitter application. for Android.

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As we all know, the protected tweet feature allows users to avoid having their Twitter account public on the community.When in this mode, user tweets will only be shown to people who follow their accounts.A person who wants to follow a Twitter account must first be approved by the owner of the account.Also, the set account Protect your Tweets will not be forwardable.Therefore, problems with protected tweet feature can greatly affect user privacy.Specifically, it makes individual tweets public and allows any other user to forward or track accounts.

Unfortunately for Twitter, the time to detect this error is not appropriate at all.This social networking site is currently under investigation for alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).This EU privacy law gives its citizens the right to request access or to provide their personal data from management companies.When Twitter denied this request by a researcher looking for data related to short URL services, the European Data Protection Commission opened an investigation regarding this issue.

Not only that, according to information from Bloomberg, Twitter is likely to face a new privacy-related investigation for this security hole from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC).

According to GDPR, refusing to improve its privacy practices will cause Twitter to pay a huge fine to the EU, possibly up to 4% of its annual revenue.It is known that in the third quarter of 2018, the revenue of this social networking site reached 758 million dollars.

DPC's communications manager, Mr. Graham X. Doyle, shared with Bloomberg that DPC opened a statutory investigation at the end of 2018, regarding Twitter's obligations under the general data protection regulations ( GDPR) to implement technical and organizational measures to ensure the safety and protection of personal data, after it received a number of Twitter infringement notices from May 25, 2018 This investigation is still ongoing.

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