Facebook asks 900 million users for phone details to 'prevent' LinkedIn-style hacking

London, June 16 (ANI): Facebook is asking each of its over 900million active users to provide their mobile phone numbers as a part of a drive to improve security on the social networking site.

Millions of Facebook users have already seen a link at the top of their profile requesting them to follow 'simple security tips'.

Clicking on the link opens the site's security page where users are asked to pick a unique password and given a tutorial on how to spot an online scam.

Users are then requested to provide their phone number for secure account recovery, the Daily Mail reports.

Facebook claims that when a user confirms their phone number it allows the site to automatically wipe their password in case their account is being hacked.

The social network would then send a text message to the user informing that their password has been changed.

The move comes amid much-publicised password hacks at other networking sites such as LinkedIn and eHarmony.

According to the paper, Facebook, however, claimed that the security update has nothing to do with the recent LinkedIn hack.

The social network for professionals, LinkedIn admitted to being hacked, but did not reveal the exact figure, although 6.5million of its 161million users' passwords appeared online at InsidePro.com. (ANI)