Ross email blunder highlights dangers of Twitter

A deleted Jonathan Ross email was found on Twitter's advanced search

A high-profile incident on Twitter is leading some to question the disclosure dangers of the micro-blogging service.

The inadvertent leak of TV personality Jonathan Ross's email address has highlighted just how difficult it can be to bury a Twitter post.

The incident started earlier this week when Ross wrote a private message to another Twitter user which included his personal email address. But Ross mistakenly posted the message as a regular update, exposing his email address to 260,000 followers of his feed.

The post was deleted soon afterwards, but a copy was accessible through the site's advanced search feature. This could pose a risk to personal and professional data as more people begin to use Twitter at home and in the workplace.

Twitter users can apply to the company to have their details and posts purged from the site completely. However, Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos, warned that the process can be difficult and can still leave users exposed for a time.

"This is a serious security problem. People will always accidentally type something they didn't mean to, or include the wrong link. Why shouldn't they be able to properly delete the message from all of Twitter?" Cluley said in a blog post.

"Accidents will always happen, but Twitter could be much more responsible about helping users clear up the mess afterwards."