Twitter Starting to Track List of Users' Apps on Mobiles

Twitter Inc. (TWTR:US) said it will start

collecting lists of applications installed on users’ mobile

devices to help tailor the content it displays for members,

including marketing messages.

The feature, called “app graph,” will help provide more

relevant advertising and improve suggestions on which accounts

to follow, the San Francisco-based company said on its website

today. While app graph will help to pull in more messages and

other content to timelines, it won’t collect information from

within the apps, Twitter said.

“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,” the company said.

Twitter, under pressure from investors over concerns that

user growth is slowing, is adding features to help it attract

and keep new users. Twitter’s monthly active user count rose 23

percent to 284 million in the third quarter, down from 24

percent growth the prior period. Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo has replaced several top lieutenants this year,

including ousting his chief operating officer and appointing a

new chief financial officer and head of product.

While the latest feature could trigger user concerns over

privacy, Twitter said people can opt out of the tracking by

going into app settings for Apple Inc. iPhones and smartphones

powered by Google Inc.’s Android software.

Earlier this month, Twitter said it plans to roll out an

“instant timeline” to let consumers see what’s happening on

the site without having to first follow people. The company is

also working on new mobile applications, executives said, and

will simplify the sign-up process and better organize content

around geography and events.

To contact the reporter on this story:

Brian Womack in San Francisco at

bwomack1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:

Pui-Wing Tam at

ptam13@bloomberg.net

Reed Stevenson, John Lear

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2840600/China-school-bus-crash-kills-11-kindergarteners.html

Twitter Inc. (TWTR:US) said it will start
collecting lists of applications installed on users’ mobile
devices to help tailor the content it displays for members,
including marketing messages.
The feature, called “app graph,” will help provide more
relevant advertising and improve suggestions on...

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