Twitter Apologizes For False Hacking Scare

Early on November 9, 2012, Twitter informed certain users, mostly from China, that their accounts may have been compromised and prompted a change in passwords. The manipulations happened on the same day that the 18th Chinese Communist Party National Congress was being held, where 2,270 people deliberated on the upcoming political leadership of the nation. The event is held only once every 10 years. The current one was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Just a few hours after, many journalists received emails on the supposed hacking attempt on their accounts. There was no cause for panic, however, and Twitter was quick to apologize for the notices. The company admitted how it automatically resets passwords at times when it realizes that accounts may have been the subject of compromise. As a result, Internet users could not access certain websites abroad and even private platforms that may circumvent internet filters in China. Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, was operational as usual and shared some information mostly revolving around the ongoing national congress. The bottom line is, Twitter was not the subject of a hacking incident. The prompts were in no way related or intended to cause trouble during a momentous event in the world's fastest growing economy. The public should rest assured that the Twitter mistake was entirely the company's and was not by hackers. The company quickly apologized for the worries that they might have caused users, particularly those from China. They further explained how the changes were part of the routine to maintain the security of users. Twitter concluded that they only aimed to keep the website safe and open for all interested users and said is sorry to have caused unnecessary panic and inconvenience.