May 22 (Reuters) – Twitter Inc began introducing new
technology on Wednesday to shore up security for users,
responding to a spate of recent attacks on prominent accounts
including those owned by the Associated Press and Financial
Times.
Twitter said in a blog post it has begun to introduce “login
verification,” a form of two-factor authentication in security
industry parlance. The feature asks users to confirm their
identity after a typical log-in, by sending a six-digit code to
smartphones that must then be typed in to complete a sign-on.
The microblogging service, considered one of the most
important communications platforms today, has not done enough to
help protect users’ accounts, critics say. That criticism
intensified after a fake tweet sent from the AP’s account in
April about a non-existent White House explosion briefly roiled
U.S. financial markets.
“There’s a second check to make sure it’s really you,” the
company said on its official blog.
Repeated hacking incidents have raised questions about
Twitter’s credibility and reliability just as it is beginning to
assume a central role in a fast-changing media landscape, with
the volume of tweets rising to more than 400 million a day.
