Facebook employee fired over Tinder boast

FACEBOOK yesterday said that it had fired an employee accused of bragging on matchmaking app Tinder about his access to private user information.

A Twitter user earlier on Wednesday posted about the Tinder conversation along with screenshots, saying Facebook’s security engineer is “likely using privileged access to stalk women online.”

In the unverified screenshot, the employee in question writes of being a “professional stalker” searching for hackers.

Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said the company quickly investigated the situation and immediately fired the person. Access to sensitive data is logged, and the company has automated systems designed to detect and prevent abuse, Stamos said. “Employees who abuse these controls will be fired — period.”

The incident comes as Facebook faces global concerns about personal data privacy, including Congressional hearings at which Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg testified.

In another development, failing to recover from the Facebook data scandal, Cambridge Analytica, the British marketing analytics firm, announced on Wednesday that it was closing and would file for insolvency in Britain and the United States.

The decision follows weeks of intense pressure on the company, hired by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, after allegations emerged it may have hijacked up to 87 million Facebook users’ data.

It claimed it has been “vilified” by the “numerous unfounded accusations” which torpedoed its business and forced it to go into administration.