Twitter Improves Security For Shared Accounts

Twitter is giving users what it thinks is a safer way to handle shared access to an account without compromising the login. Users of tweet-deck will be able to share access to twitter accounts without sharing passwords.

Huge magazines and some big companies have been hacked recently; shared passwords are obvious weak points for corporate social media accounts as they increase the likelihood of unauthorized access. The new tweet-deck feature called Teams, lets the person who currently manages the account identify others as contributors or administrators.

With the tool, the person who already has access to the twitter account signs into tweet-deck using the account’s regular credentials. From the navigation bar, the person can type in the twitter handle of other people to give them access. Both the administrator and contributors can tweet from the account and follow or unfollow others but only administrators can add or remove team members or view them.

Users who are already sharing their account can change the password and revoke app access if they prefer to use the new feature. The company is encouraging the users to continue using two factor authentications, which has a code sent to their mobile device upon login, because it acts as yet another check against unauthorized access.

Twitter hasn’t revealed plans for bringing the feature to twitter.com or twitter’s mobile apps.