Facebook bug made 14 million users posts public | Apologizes for Facebook Glitch
A glitch in the Facebook’s software has unknowingly posted private
information to the public, the company warned.
When users post to Facebook, there is a menu option that allows
the user to choose who can see that post. While choosing public can allow anyone
to view the post, the other options are limiting and only allow friends of the
users to see their posts.
Facebook remembers what settings you chose last time and chooses
it by default the next time you post something on it. But the glitch would set the
default option to the public even if the user had chosen something more
private.
If the user is unable to notice the change and posts it on
Facebook, then the post is posted to a wider audience than the user had
intended.
The glitch affected over 14
million users between 18 May and 22 May. But it took the site until 27 may
revert the error. The company has apologized for the mistake and has started
notifying the users who have had their posts being affected by the bug to
review their posts.
This is another embarrassing blunder for Facebook which is already
under fire for sharing private data of users. This week, the company is
answering questions regarding the nature of data sharing deals it had with
handset makers including Huawei and ZTE
Those affected by this latest blooper will be shown a graphical
notification soon, with the opportunity to go over what posts may have been
posted publicly by the bug.
Facebook is facing criticism from users and privacy advocates who
believe that the site’s privacy settings are confusing and can be tough to
understand given the way new features roll out and the user interface changes
every now and then. the new bug is unlikely to ease those fears.
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