twitter app data collection

I have posted a message to Twitter - as these guys are the only app so far confirmed that data collection happened.

"

(to twitter)

I understand that Twitter created an iPhone App that has gathered contact information from iPhones, including Numbers and/or Email addresses, etc.

Can you clarify what and from whom this data was collected, and how the general user, like our staff, can find out from Twitter when and how much data was taken?

We consider this to be a security breach in our company and are taking it very seriously.

In the short term we have removed all apps from iphones, until the matter is resolved, including the Twitter App.

No where on the terms on the Apple App store twitter page does it state that Twitter will gather data from out side the Twitter App. If it does, where is this?

If you can provide a way to match the data that was taken with our iphone Twitter App installations, we would appreciate knowing what was taken. Also, we request that all such information is permanently removed from Twitter databases, as we have not agreed to sharing confidential information with Twitter."

I've been search the net to work out what if anythig I can do, it appears that we may not have been affected by Tiwtter, but it's is ultimately unknown I now believe.

Closed Source software has a way of hiding nasty 'features' like these, you know the ones that 'harvest' private information without permission, or even telling the user... I think this is pretty poor, and considering Apple are 'mean't' to vet these apps, what's with this breach? I doubt I will put much faith in this Gatekeeper app they are talking about until we see real transparency, like open source the apps guys, com'on.

The breach occurs when users of the micro-blogging site click the “Find Friends” option to see if any of their contacts are also on it.

Many of them did not know this meant the site then uploaded their entire address book and stored it afterwards.

Twitter spokesman Carolyn Penner said it would now offer users the option to “upload your address book” or “import your contacts” to make it clearer.

She said: “We want to be clear and transparent in our communications with users. Along those lines, in our next app updates, which are coming soon, we are updating the language associated with Find Friends – to be more explicit.”

http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/internet/twitter-admits-to-harvesting-us er-contacts-1.1236652