Social and microblogging giant Twitter has quietly rolled out a new feature dubbed ‘App Graph’ that will collect data on the apps its users download on their iOS or Android phone or tablet.
“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”, notes Twitter.
As according to Twitter, the move will help the company better target promoted content, improving its suggestions for accounts to follow by connecting the user with those who have similar interests; and adding content to user timeline like tweets and accounts that it thinks will relate to users’ interests.
The San Francisco Company has assured that it is only going to collect the list of apps that users have installed not any data within the apps, meaning there’s nothing much to worry about users’ privacy.
Furthermore, Twitter claims that users will be notified of the data collection when the setting is turned on and can opt out from within their app’s settings anytime they wish. Users can turn off the App Graph feature on their iPhones by choosing “limit ad tracking” option, while Android users can do so by selecting “opt out of interest-based ads.” If users turn it off, the data is removed from Twitter’s servers, the company says.
The update has been rolled out on iOS and Android starting Wednesday, so users can expect the prompt to start appearing soon.
