There's a hilarious yet important reason why people are tweeting 'Meow, I

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Twitter users are catching onto a new trend of tweeting “Meow, I <3 catfacts" to Edward Snowden.

But instead of being a feline obsession, it’s a lesson in online privacy.

A privacy advocate and coder has taken to spamming unfortunate users who have shared private information such as their mobile phone number on Twitter with cat facts. The only way to stop the spam is to tweet “Meow, I <3 catfacts @Snowden".

He says that the “main cause is to spread awareness of operational security.”

“When people tweet pictures of their drivers licenses or debit cards, they usually understand their mistake upon someone retweeting it. When they tweet their phone number, they think nothing of it,” he told The Verge.

Here’s a look at the experiences of some Twitter users.

Users will find themselves being spammed by cat facts and news if they share their mobile phone number in tweets.

don't give out your phone number kids - @Snowden Meow, I <3 catfacts pic.twitter.com/KyqZMGggCm

— ️️️️️️️️️️ (@artaimh) November 18, 2015

Cat-related facts and information are then frequently sent to the user’s mobile number with the help of a free messaging service.

@Snowden meow, I <3 catfacts pic.twitter.com/Rb96yWjFWt

— Blasé Girls Club (@Niz_ahhh) November 16, 2015

do-not-reply@textr.us / AutoSMS / Cats lick people as a sign of affection. To unsubscribe, tweet @Snowden"Meow, I <3 catfacts"

— JuzSw33tCarolin3 (@caro918) November 17, 2015

AutoSMS / Cats can’t taste sweetness. To unsubscribe, tweet @Snowden"Meow, I <3 catfacts"

— Engayla (@Engayla) November 16, 2015

do-not-reply@textr.us / AutoSMS / This breed is also the fastest pedigreed cat. To unsubscribe, tweet @Snowden"Meow, I <3 catfacts"

— ✨twin #1✨ (@itsmeoveryou__) November 17, 2015

The only way users can rid themselves of the spam is to tweet “Meow, I <3 catfacts" at privacy advocate, Edward Snowden.

i give up.. @snowden Meow I <3 catfacts

— Promoter @Vegas/Drew (@JerseyDrew) November 15, 2015

@Snowden"Meow, I <3 catfacts"

— Daviddd (@DPportillo9) November 18, 2015

hoping this works but please unsubscribe my number :'( @Snowden meow, I <3 catfacts

— brieg (@brieannagail) November 21, 2015

@Snowden meow, I <3 catfacts unsubscribe bastard texts

— Marti Thomas (@Martiswraps) November 14, 2015

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