Twitter has issued a mea culpa after realizing that phone numbers and email addresses provided by users for “security purposes” had been accidentally handed to marketers, helping them target advertisements online.

The company admitted the error in a blog post on Tuesday, stating that the user information was unintentionally mixed up with its targeting advertisement program, known as “Tailored Audiences.”

“We recently discovered that when you provided an email address or phone number for safety or security purposes (for example, two-factor authentication) this data may have inadvertently been used for advertising purposes,” the company said, adding “This was an error and we apologize.”

[link to www.rt.com (secure)]

More lies about 'accidental' leaks.