Twitter Circle Bug Leaked Some Private Photos of Users

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This illustration photo taken on January 30, 2023 shows a phone screen displaying a post on Elon Musk's Twitter account stating "Yikes. Def not me" with an allegedly fake video of him promoting a new cryptocurrency scam shown in the background, in Washington, DC.

A Twitter bug is now showing private Circle tweets to everyone else, including users who are strangers. In some cases, sensitive photos of users have leaked due to the janky feature.

Twitter, which Elon Musk now owns, has yet to acknowledge the alarming bug. Instead, the press email of the giant social network auto replies with a poop emoji to inquiries, Futurism reports. It is worth noting that Musk has recently dismantled the PR team of the tech firm, much like what he did with his electric vehicle (EV) company, Tesla.

Twitter Circle Bug Shows Private Tweets to the Public

The social network introduced its Twitter Circle feature last August 2022. It works similarly to the "Close Friends" feature on Instagram. As its name gives away, users can set a specific audience for their Stories on the Meta-owned service. Circle is a Twitter counterpart, allowing users to select which among their followers could see their tweets.

The tech firm notes that the feature is "a new way to Tweet to a smaller crowd." It works pretty straightforward, giving users "the flexibility to choose who can see and engage with their content on a Tweet-by-Tweet basis." For instance, you may tweet about sensitive topics without receiving harassment from strangers. Or in some cases, it could be an option to share photos or posts only suitable for a select audience.

Despite that, as per a report by Tech Crunch, some users are now pointing out that the Circle feature has become pretty janky. These supposedly private posts are now reportedly showing up in the For You timeline of users.

The news outlet notes that the Circle tweets appearing on the For You page noticeably lack the "Retweet" button. It should be the case for those with private accounts. But for public counterparts, it is strange.

According to Engadget, some of the glitchy Circle posts end up appearing on the For You page of their followers. Yet, in some instances, these supposedly private tweets also show up on the timeline of those who do not follow them. In other words, even a stranger could end up seeing your post intended for a select audience.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 07: In this photo illustration, The Twitter logo is displayed on a mobile device as the company announced it's initial public offering and debut on the New York Stock Exchange on November 7, 2013 in London, England. Twitter went public on the NYSE opening at USD 26 per share, valuing the company's worth at an estimated USD 18 billion.

Some Private Photos Have Leaked

Tech Crunch notes in its report that one of the leaked posts showed a tweet about FOMO-ing for failing to watch Succession, the talk of the town HBO series. Although this was intended for select users' eyes, it was not as alarming as the other leaked post.

Futurism notes that some users posted private photos, specifically nudes, to their Circles. And due to the bug, it leaked to the public; the poster says that strangers liked the sensitive image, suggesting that it showed up elsewhere.