Twitter recently released a statement denying reports that personal information belonging to 200 million accounts had been leaked. The leaked data was said to include usernames, email addresses, and other private identifying information.
The incident, first reported by ‘TechCrunch’, claimed that the leaked data came from a “black market website” known as “The RealDeal”. Upon investigating the claim via it’s own systems, Twitter concluded that no data had actually been taken from its servers.
The online social media and microblogging service giant released an official statement to the media on 28th April 2021, where they stated; “Protecting the privacy and safety of the people who use Twitter is our number one priority and we take reports of data misuse and security breaches very seriously”.
Twitter went on to explain that the data suggested to be leaked had been obtained from other sources that had likely not obtained information directly from the Twitter platform, but rather from other publicly available sources.
The problem with the ‘spam accounts’ issue, wherein malicious actors are aiming to use false information to spread misinformation and deception, is more prevalent in today’s day and age – making it essential for companies such as Twitter to ensure their service remains trustworthy and secure.
In conclusion, it seems that while the data leak, obtained from ‘The RealDeal’ website, was real, Twitter was not in any way responsible. The company put in place a number of security measures to ensure the safety and privacy of its users and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure the security of its platform.
