Samaritans has promised that all data collected by its Twitter monitoring app will be deleted and the charity will respond individually to people who expressed concern.

The Samaritans Radar app was suspended ten days after it launched following a backlash from Twitter users concerned about privacy and the possibility of the app being exploited by cyberbullies.

In a statement on Friday Joe Ferns, executive director of policy, research and development said: “We are ensuring that any data associated with the app will be deleted and we will be voluntarily responding to those individual requests concerning data in relation to the app.”

The app monitored subscribers’ Twitter feeds for phrases that could indicate that someone they follow was struggling emotionally and send then an email alerting them to the tweet.

A number of users took to Twitter with concerns that the app breached the Data Protection Act and could put people at risk of being bullied online. A petition calling for the app to be withdrawn attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The charity has said it is in contact with the Information Commissioner’s Office about the concerns.

Ferns added: “I would like to apologise for any stress caused to the users of Twitter. The intention behind the web-based app was to give people a second chance to see a tweet from someone they know who might be struggling to cope.

“Samaritans has a long history of encouraging people to look out for one another and of finding innovative ways of encouraging people to talk about what is troubling them. However we need to think further about how we can take those principles and use them to help make the online environment safer for vulnerable people.”