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App assesses tweeters' mental health without consent - 05 November 2014 - New Scientist@import "/css/gridmain.css"; @import "/css/article.css";@import "/css/comlist.css";@import "/data/images/ns/haas/haas.css";/* specific to this article view */#maincol {border-top:solid #A7A7A7 1px; padding-top:15px;}/* Basic commenting CSS*/.combx {margin:10px 0 0 0;padding:10px 20px 10px 10px;}#compnl {border-top:solid #A7A7A7 1px;}/* comment styles for article page only *//* form styles */#comform {margin:20px 50px 20px 10px;}#comform label{width: 90px;text-align: right;}#comform div.userhelp {margin:0 0 2px 115px;}#comform input.textinput, #comform textarea {width:300px;}#comform div.floatclear, #comformlogin div.floatclear {margin-bottom:10px;}#comform input#comcancel{margin:0 10px 0 0;}#comform input#compreview{margin:0 10px 0 0;}#comform textarea {height:95px;}#comformlogin {margin:20px 100px 20px 100px;}#comformlogin label{width: 120px;}#comformlogin input.textinput {width:150px;}/* article social media */#sharebtns {width:440px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:20px; padding:15px 10px 15px 10px; background:#F2F2F2;}#sharebtns div.floatleft {margin-right:10px;}#sharebtns .stumble {margin-top:1px;}.grpTools img {margin-right:8px; margin-top:9px;}#fblike {margin-top:41px;} dataLayer = [{'visitorType':'None','siteSection':'News','author':'None','pubDate':'05/11/2014','subject':'None','barrierType':'None'}](function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-B92N');SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 37%MANAGE MY ACCOUNT ?GIVE A GIFT ?New Scientist    Log in

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App assesses tweeters' mental health without consent05 November 2014Magazine issue 2994. Subscribe and saveFor similar stories, visit theMental HealthTopic GuideGOOD intentions gone wrong? An app designed to support people at risk of suicide has caused a furore this week, after monitoring the mental health of Twitter users without their consent.

Once downloaded, the Samaritans Radar app, created by support organisation The Samaritans, tracks tweets from people you follow and analyses them for phrases that might suggest a person is struggling to cope. These tweets are then flagged to the user via an email, which also includes advice on how to support that person.

Since launching last week, the app has been criticised for collecting, processing and sharing information about people's mental health without their knowledge. Others worry it could alert trolls to potential victims.

The Samaritans has now extended the app's opt-out function to include individuals as well as organisations. You can opt out by sending a direct message to @samaritans.

This article appeared in print under the headline "Twitter health"

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