New Facebook bug exposes photos of millions of users

NEW YORK: Facebook’s privacy controls have broken down yet again, this time through a software flaw affecting nearly seven million users who had photos exposed to a much wider audience than intended.

The bug disclosed on Friday gave hundreds of apps unauthorised access to photos that could in theory include images that would embarrass some of the affected users.

They also included photos people may have uploaded but hadn’t yet posted, perhaps because they had changed their mind.

It’s not yet known whether anyone actually saw the photos, but the revelation of the nowfixed problem served as another reminder of just how much data Facebook has on its 2.27 billion users, as well has how frequently these slip-ups are recurring.

The bug is the latest in a series of privacy lapses that continue to crop up, despite Facebook’s repeated pledges to batten down its hatches and do a better job preventing unauthorised access to the pictures, thoughts and other personal information its users intend to share only with friends and family.

In general, when people grant permission for a third-party app to access their photos, they are sharing all the photos on their Facebook page, regardless of privacy settings meant to limit a photo to small circles such as family.

The bug potentially gave developers access to even more photos, such as those shared on separate Marketplace and Facebook Stories features, as well as photos that weren’t actually posted.

Facebook said the users’ photos may have been exposed for 12 days in September. The company said the bug has been fixed. The company declined to say how many of the affected users are from Europe, where stricter privacy laws took effect in May and could subject companies to fines.

Facebook said it has notified the Irish Data Protection Commission of the breach. — AP