Twitter says a bug accidentally collected and shared location data on iOS

Twitter on Monday revealed that a bug on its iOS app “inadvertently” collected and “shared” users location data.

“We have fixed the bug, but we wanted to make sure we shared more of the context around this with you,” the company said in tweet.

Due to a bug in Twitter for iOS, we inadvertently collected and shared location data (at the zip code or city level). We have fixed the bug, but we wanted to make sure we shared more of the context around this with you. More here: https://t.co/n04LNt62Sa

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 13, 2019

In a further statement on its blog, the company explained that it  shared location data with a trusted partner company unintentionally.

“We have confirmed with our partner that the location data has not been retained and that it only existed in their systems for a short time,” Twitter further claimed.

The iOS app collected location data when users where signed into multiple accounts on one device, with “precise location” active on just one of them.

“This location data could not be used to determine an address or to map your precise movements,” the company explained.

Twitter apologized for the incident, and has noted affected users.

Feature image: Memeburn