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This makes me ask questions that Twitter shouldn't be making me ask. I don't presume to stop them from doing whatever they're permitted to do, so instead I ask

by buro9 12y ago

This makes me ask questions that Twitter shouldn't be making me ask. I don't presume to stop them from doing whatever they're permitted to do, so instead I ask myself: "Should I uninstall the apps mentioned as their presence leaks information about me, or should I uninstall Twitter for spying on my device?" Initially I thought that I use Twitter, so that must be high value... I'll delete the other apps. Then, looking through the list it occurs to me that as this expands I'd need to uninstall everything else except Twitter to render their spying useless. Now I feel that the best solution is a very simple one: Uninstall Twitter and use the web version instead. I guess that's not the outcome they want to be steering people towards. Edit: The web version feels like a very old iOS app. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's fast and snappy.

pjc50 12y ago
Other Twitter native clients are available - at the moment. I'd suggest some but because of the API key limit any one that gets too popular will eventually be banned for new users. This killed the excellent multi-column Metrotwit recently, for example.
kmfrk 12y ago
You can always add custom CSS-styling to the mix, if you don’t want to use third-party clients.
ropiku 12y ago
You can opt out from the Twitter App. Or enable "Limit Ad Tracking".
- SchizoDuckie 12y ago
  Yes. but what enrages me is that this can only be done from the app. after you've installed (/upgraded) it and they have scanned your device. My current twitter install on android doesn't have the feature to disable it yet, which means that i have to follow an upgrade path that includes updating -> toggling flight mode -> opening the app (if that works) and then toggling the setting. I cannot disable it from the web interface, or this is put under a very obtrusive description.
  - ropiku 12y ago
    Limit Ad tracking is an iOS system setting. For Android you can set "Opt out of interest based-ads" (Accounts -> Google -> Ads). You can set both before upgrading the app and no scan will take place.
    - nl 12y ago
      I'm pretty sure that Android setting opts you out of Google-interest based ads, ie the same setting you can change via https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads I doubt that changes anything for Twitter. AFAIK it doesn't stop an application doing scanning like this.
      - ropiku 12y ago
        It doesn't forcefully stop apps to do this but Twitter reads and obeys that setting.
onewaystreet 12y ago
Maybe you should just stop using the internet altogether if you are this worried about being "spied" on.
67726e 12y ago
I've found myself doing this for most social networking on my phone. I only wish to give most of these apps a subset of the permissions and data they seek, and I honestly don't want to be bothered rooting and installing one of those permission gatekeeper apps, so I just use the mobile site. My Nexus 5 is sufficiently fast, and I have unlimited unthrottled data anyway, so why not?

by buro9 12y ago

pjc50 12y ago

Other Twitter native clients are available - at the moment. I'd suggest some but because of the API key limit any one that gets too popular will eventually be banned for new users. This killed the excellent multi-column Metrotwit recently, for example.

kmfrk 12y ago

You can always add custom CSS-styling to the mix, if you don’t want to use third-party clients.

ropiku 12y ago

You can opt out from the Twitter App. Or enable "Limit Ad Tracking".

SchizoDuckie 12y ago
Yes. but what enrages me is that this can only be done from the app. after you've installed (/upgraded) it and they have scanned your device. My current twitter install on android doesn't have the feature to disable it yet, which means that i have to follow an upgrade path that includes updating -> toggling flight mode -> opening the app (if that works) and then toggling the setting. I cannot disable it from the web interface, or this is put under a very obtrusive description.
- ropiku 12y ago
  Limit Ad tracking is an iOS system setting. For Android you can set "Opt out of interest based-ads" (Accounts -> Google -> Ads). You can set both before upgrading the app and no scan will take place.
  - nl 12y ago
    I'm pretty sure that Android setting opts you out of Google-interest based ads, ie the same setting you can change via https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads I doubt that changes anything for Twitter. AFAIK it doesn't stop an application doing scanning like this.
    - ropiku 12y ago
      It doesn't forcefully stop apps to do this but Twitter reads and obeys that setting.

onewaystreet 12y ago

Maybe you should just stop using the internet altogether if you are this worried about being "spied" on.

67726e 12y ago

I've found myself doing this for most social networking on my phone. I only wish to give most of these apps a subset of the permissions and data they seek, and I honestly don't want to be bothered rooting and installing one of those permission gatekeeper apps, so I just use the mobile site. My Nexus 5 is sufficiently fast, and I have unlimited unthrottled data anyway, so why not?