Facebook bug shares private posts
In the past year, tech companies have faced a torrent of criticism for making addictive devices and apps, and for failing to protect users’ data and privacy.
The backlash came after years of careless practices compounded by consumers diving headlong into all things tech without pausing to think about the consequences.
That’s why it’s refreshing to see the world’s richest tech company finally taking some concrete steps to protect users, both from themselves and other tech firms.
Apple’s new Screen Time feature, which was announced on Tuesday at its Worldwide Developers Conference, will let you limit the amount of time you spend on apps and to set time allowances for devices used by children.
You’ll now be able to see how much time you spend on each app. So if you find you’re losing hours a day while browsing mindlessly on a social media app, you can set a time limit.
It will also be easier to control and reduce the number of notifications you get. And if you’ve got kids you can see their app use too, and control it so they either can’t use their device during certain hours or can only use specific apps at set times.
While these types of apps are already available for both Apple and Android devices, having them part of the core Apple software for iPhones and iPads will see them used more.
The move comes amid mounting evidence on the link between increased device use and negative effects on concentration, mental health and sleep.
It’s a bold move by Apple. The company is effectively adding features to use its products less.
Imagine if car manufacturers added a feature to limit how much you could drive in a bid to cut back on accidents and reduce pollution. Or if Facebook gave you the option of only using it for a few minutes a day.
While Facebook will never do that, Apple has taken aim at the social media company.
A new feature in its Safari web browser targets companies like Facebook which track you as you browse the internet.
Safari will block Like or Share buttons and tools such as comment sections from tracking you without your permission.
It will also force sites and apps to ask permission before using the camera or microphone, or accessing personal data.
It’s about time tech companies took responsibility for their own products. The only downside to these new features is that they won’t roll out until about September when Apple releases its software updates to the public. Facebook has another apology for you.
The company said a bug in its system caused it to publicly share the posts of 14 million people who thought they were making private updates.
The company said the mistake happened as it worked to redesign how it displays parts of user profiles that are always public.
Facebook posts are public by default for new accounts, but every Facebook user can limit who sees each post by using what the company calls an ‘‘audience selector’’. Users can also make new posts only visible to friends or subgroups of friends, for example, by altering this default through their privacy settings.
But, for four days in May, the bug ignored user preferences and set the default audience for all new posts to ‘‘public’’, the company said. Facebook stopped the bug on May 22, but did not restore the proper privacy settings to all posts until May 27.
The social network is working to rehabilitate its relationship with users after the Cambridge Analytica controversy, which drew renewed attention to how much data the company collects. Facebook is currently in the process of rolling out new privacy menus to all of its 2 billion users.
The move comes amid mounting evidence on the link between increased device use and negative effects on concentration, mental health and sleep.
But the controversies keep on coming. This week, The Post reported that Facebook shared special user data with Huawei – a Chinese firm that lawmakers say poses a national security threat. The news prompted a swift response from lawmakers, who asked Facebook for more information on those partnerships, and raised further questions about whether Facebook has violated a privacy agreement it had made with the government in 2011.
Those affected by this latest issue will receive notifications from Facebook starting on Thursday.
The problem did not change who could see older posts, Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan said. Users could have changed the
The social network is working to rehabilitate its relationship with users after the Cambridge Analytica controversy...
individual audience setting on posts, but would have had to notice the setting was different from what they’d chosen.
‘‘We’d like to apologise for this mistake,’’ Egan said.
- The Washington Post