Twitter bug on Android has exposed protected tweets over the last 4 years for some users

Ben Schoon | Jan 17 2019 - 1:17 pm PT

Whoops. Twitter just admitted to fixing a 4-year old bug on its Android app this week which exposed the protected tweets of some users without their knowledge.

If you used Twitter for Android anytime in the past four years, a bug in the app may have changed a setting without user’s knowledge. The bug in question would turn off protected tweets, a setting which hides tweets from public view and only lets approved followers see them.

Twitter doesn’t specify exactly what could cause this issue, but apparently changing some other settings could affect the one tied to protected tweets. One example, though, would be changing the email address on your account using the Android application.

The bug was present in the app from November 3rd, 2014, all the way until this week. Apparently, an update was pushed to fix the bug on January 14th, 2019. Users on iOS or the web weren’t impacted, although it’s unclear how it affected those who use multiple platforms. Those who were affected have been informed, but Twitter still recommends checking privacy settings.

We’ve become aware of an issue in Twitter for Android that disabled the “Protect your Tweets” setting if certain account changes were made. You may have been impacted by this issue if you had protected Tweets turned on in your settings, used Twitter for Android, and made certain changes to account settings such as changing the email address associated with your account between November 3, 2014, and January 14, 2019.