Twitter's (TWTR) Mobile App Receives Negative WSJ Mention

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) may have a little more trouble in getting more mobile advertising dollars following at least one article published today.

The WSJ highlighted several ways to Avoid Being Tracked Online (And How to Stop it). Typical items like clearing cookies from your web browser and disabling JavaScipt were mentioned, but the article did highlight Twitter's mobile app and suggests users disable the app's ability to read what other apps you use.

Specifically, the section says:

6. I App Therefore I Am

A recent study found that the combination of apps we install on our phones is unique to most of us and can be used to profile us. For example, if Twitter, which collects the list of apps installed on your mobile, was to share this list with an advertiser, the latter could infer what your interests and habits are and deliver personalized ads to your phone. The advertiser could also assign you a unique identifier and track you across websites.

Tip: In your phone’s Twitter app settings, disable the “Tailor Twitter based on my apps” option.

Mobile is an important aspect of growth for Twitter, as it is with just about every other social media network. For example, in its most-recent quarter, Twitter noted that Mobile MAUs represented approximately 80% of total MAUs. (MAUs are Monthly Active Users, or a measure of overall activity for a social media company during a calendar month.)

While Twitter's app was specifically mentioned in the WSJ article, it's likely that other social media apps collect and distribute similar data.

Shares of Twitter are up around 1.3 percent Tuesday.

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