In case you didn’t see it, there is an interesting report from the (LINK) LA Times (http://www NULL.latimes NULL.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-twitter-contacts-20120214,0,5579919 NULL.story) where Twitter acknowledges that mobile users who tap “find friends” on the Twitter phone app will have their entire address book uploaded to Twitter (where the info can stay for up to 18 months)
Twitter (http://www NULL.latimes NULL.com/topic/arts-culture/computer-networking-internet/social-media/twitter-inc NULL.-ORCRP00010280 NULL.topic) Inc. has acknowledged that after mobile users tap the “Find friends” feature on its smartphone app, the company downloads users’ entire address book, including names, email addresses and phone numbers, and keeps the data on its servers for 18 months. The company also said it plans to update its apps to clarify that user contacts are being transmitted and stored.
However, the LA Times story may give you the impression that the phone app for Twitter is the only way that your contact list will be imported, and that is not the case. Those who use the actual Twitter site, and search for contacts on there can also have their contact lists uploaded……
If you go to Find Friends on the Twitter site (as shown above) and then ask Twitter to search for friends using the services listed (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Messenger, AOL) will also trigger your contacts lists uploaded. The only difference between the main site and the phone app is that on the main Twitter site page, there is a TINY DISCLAIMER at the bottom of the page that says
Choosing a service will open a window for you to log in securely and import your contacts to Twitter. You’ll only find users who have allowed their accounts to be found by email address. We won’t email anyone without your consent, but we may use contact information to make Who To Follow suggestions.
while currently no such disclaimer exists on the Twitter mobile app version to “Find Friends”. The fact that the disclaimer is on the Twitter site, does NOT mean most people will see it. Unfortunately Twitter has chosen to make the disclaimer so small and lightly colored that most people will just miss it.
As noted in the LA Times story,
Twitter’s current privacy policy notes that some categories of “Log Data” are stored for up to 18 months.
“Log Data may include information such as your IP address, browser type, the referring domain, pages visited, your mobile carrier, device and application IDs, and search terms,” the policy says. “Other actions, such as interactions with our website, applications and advertisements, may also be included in Log Data.”
Per Twitter, if you want to remove your address book from their systems, you will need to click on the last line of that disclaimer message that reads
You can remove (https://twitter NULL.com/#) your contacts from Twitter at any time.
Just like to point out again, Twitter does NOT make this easy to find or see. Once you click on the remove, you will see the following message.
Per the LA Times,
In response to questions about the process, Twitter spokeswoman Carolyn Penner said the company is planning an update to the language they use in the mobile app.
Hopefully this will also include making the removal link more easily accessible and noticeable.
Came across an interesting situation this morning with TweetDeck. When I opened it, all that came up was a blank screen. 
