(Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc. is temporarily suspending users' ability to tweet via text message, after the social media company's own chief executive officer was hacked through that method last week.
The Twitter account of CEO Jack Dorsey was compromised through a SIM swap, which means his mobile-phone number was impersonated. The accounts of a host of celebrities and YouTube stars have also been hacked recently -- including actress Chloe Moretz, whose account on Wednesday sent out expletives and references to a hacking group that also claimed responsibility for the breach of Dorsey's feed. Twitter's move puts pressure on mobile-phone carriers to address the issue so the problem doesn't recur.
“We're taking this step because of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed by mobile carriers,” the San Francisco-based company said on Twitter, adding that many of its users rely on phone numbers for improved account security.
Some Twitter users send tweets via text message if they don't have smartphones. The company said it will work to reactivate that service soon, “while we work on our longer-term strategy for this feature.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Frier in San Francisco at sfrier1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Robin Ajello
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