Snapchat has incorporated a phone number opt-out feature into its mobile app in response to a recent hacking incident—the company's latest effort to convince users that their personal information is safe.
The change was made partially to address a data breach last week in which hackers made off with the usernames and phone numbers of more than 4 million users. A vulnerability in Snapchat's system allowed the hackers to match phone numbers with Snapchat accounts, the attackers said at the time.
Giving Snapchat your phone number is optional, but it is designed help the app connect people by displaying the accounts of Snapchat users who match the phone numbers in people's address books. Previously, there was not a way to remove or de-link your phone number after giving it to Snapchat.
But now, given the hacking incident, Snapchat said on Thursday it was updating its app on both iOS and Android to include a way for users to opt out of linking their phone number with their username, if they have already given the number to Snapchat. The company did not say, however, that it would delete users' phone numbers from its databases if users subsequently elect to opt out.
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