Facebook admitted that the posts of over 14 million users who thought they were sharing privately with their friends might have been shared publicly because of a software bug during May 2018.
It has been a hell of a year for Facebook so far. Only months after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the company is facing yet another major PR crisis. Facebook just admitted that the posts of as many as 14 million users who thought they were posting content visible to only their friends, may have been shared publicly.
According to the company, a software bug automatically updated the audience for some users’ posts from “friends only ” to public without any warning. It is believed that the bug was live for 10 days or more during May.
It is still unclear how many of the 14 million profiles that were affected may have posted content privately without realizing they were sharing publicly. Facebook usually lets users choose how they want their content to be shared, with basic options being: “Public, Only Friends, Friends Except, Specific Friends or Only me.”
Facebook said it would reach out to the users who are thought to have been affected by the bug.
Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, was quick to apologize for the mistake, but the question remains: can we still trust Facebook?
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