Mission: Permission

The Twitter ecosystem contains hundreds of thousands of interesting third-party applications designed to enhance your Twitter experience. Third-party apps let you do things like automatically share your Tweets on other networks, connect to other players on gaming platforms, or instantly tweet whenever you update your blog.

All third-party applications that you allow to access your Twitter account go through a permissions process. Today we’re announcing an update to help you make more informed choices about the way third-party apps integrate with your Twitter account:

More Control: Beginning today, we’re giving you more control over what information you share with third-party applications. Apps that you use to access your direct messages will ask for your permission again. By the middle of June June 30, applications that do not need access to your direct messages will no longer have it, and you can continue to use these apps as usual.

More Detailed Permissions Screen: When you first connect an application to Twitter, we’ll give you more detailed information about what you’re allowing the app to do with your account. These activities may include reading your Tweets, seeing who you follow, updating your profile, posting Tweets on your behalf, or accessing your direct messages. If you’re not comfortable with the level of access an application requests, simply say “No, thanks”.

We’ve been preparing these changes in response to requests from users and developers who asked for a greater level of clarity and control. For a summary of the applications you’ve approved or to make changes to this list, visit the “Applications” page in your Twitter account.