Slashdot Mirror
Facebook Denies Leak of Users' Private Messages
silentbrad writes "The CBC (among others) reports: "A Facebook spokesperson is denying reports that private messages sent by users on the social networking site have become public. The purported glitch began generating attention Monday after French newspaper Metro reported that private messages dating from 2007 to 2009 had become accessible to friends and acquaintances on their profile pages. Other newspapers across the country began reporting similar incidences, citing reports from the site's users. The issue may be related to Facebook moving to its Timeline layout worldwide. ... The company issued a statement in response, saying: 'A small number of users raised concerns after what they believed to be private messages appeared on their timeline. Our engineers investigated these reports and found that the messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users' profile pages. Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy.' TechCrunch.com wrote that there was no evidence the messages in question had been private, and posted an explanation from a company spokesperson. 'Every report we've seen, we've gone back and checked. We haven't seen one report that's been confirmed [of a private message being exposed]. A lot of the confusion is because before 2009 there were no likes and no comments on wall posts. People went back and forth with wall posts instead of having a conversation [in the comments of single wall post.]'"
funny how our memories are so short - Facebook has changed a LOT in the (relatively) few years it has been running. you did used to have conversations via wall post! there was nothing BUT a person's wall. these days there are far less wall posts on other people's walls because I find the new view doesn't really encourage it, and I find that I post less on other's walls because timeline puts them out in everyone else's view - "you know these people! look, they're talking!! it is relevant to you!!".
most people won't scroll to the end of their own wall let alone anyone else's, but if you do you really can find out a LOT about people. even though Facebook keeps all your data I still try to delete a lot of my old wall when it is no longer relevant.
You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
A protected, safe area, where you felt safe posting your phone number and home address for your fellow University students at your specific University. Now that the riff raff are allowed, it's no longer possible to have those safe semi-private conversations. People forget how protected and private it used to be, I think.
Ugh...
Slash, my young 15 year old friend with Progeria, these warmed over submissions of old news are making you look quite wrinkly now. I have nothing but empathy and compassion for the actual kids with the genetic disorder, but with you?
It's a boring kind of wrinkly that barely makes anyone sad or wanting of giving their two shits.
I've always come here for your unique blend of Geek insight and debate. I've weathered your dupe storms and spun some of your memes in the guilty orgy of hindsight shame. I laughed as Kevin Rose stole your Ford Pinto with Digg and then proceeded to drive that backwards everywhere without the safety plate, eventually getting creamed by some aspy Wikipedia editor in an old Chevy Caprice.
Now? I mean you've always had your submissions of warmed over old news for debate and that was sometimes interesting, but mostly not. Right at this moment, and it may be just where I am with your aesthetic personally and I can admit that, but right now?
These wrinkles are on a little progeria clown, in a backwater 2 bit carnival, with secret shows and donkeys in the back tents.
Old news about old news? Sad wrinkles my little, beloved clown. Can't you pull that shit tight? The fat, bearded lady has a mean streak and just eyed you up after smiling at the back tents. She doesn't care that you know Fortran, she just sees that you are losing your relevance and network effect and wants a solid giggle in her big belly.
So Slash, please find a way to use those wrinkles to your advantage. (More surface area? Meta Material clown paint?) I know the smug circle jerk has always been a part of Slashdot culture, as have stories and pleas like mine that you have passed your prime.
But your current incarnation just seems increasingly boring and I'm not even sure the donkey would have ya if you found yourself kicking and screaming in the sully tents.
Time for some phoenix fire, sad little clown, cuz this little wrinkly carcass doesn't hold it's own anymore. Shit. The donkey just started using OSX now too. I don't think he even cared to kick you out of the way. Sad, that.
Slash, you were, and still sometimes are, a place I love for rare insight, education, and wisdom of the programming lowID elders. But flies are the only ones hovering around your submission turds lately, and even they are losing interest now. You see, flies don't like dried turds like this. Only rot and ground welcome a dried turd.
So think, plan, design, program and rise my little progeria clown. Smug flies can't sustain you for long. You are one of the most unique cultures of debates, insights and geeks I've ever known. I've learned so much from you in the past and find myself learning less and less every time I visit. So yet another call from one of your long time geeks to evolve or at least try to cure your genetic disorder.
Cuz dried turds soon lose their resources to rain and dirt and flowers and bees. Users like me get carried off to others sites smelling less stale on those little hairy legs...
Time for another incarnation, my sad, little donkey rejected clown.
Time at least to take off the stark white under green line nesting clown paint that causes optical illusions on programming strained eyes.
Time to stop watching your stale resources rot to the ground and fly off as pollen on hairy little legs.
Time, at very long least, to try, my sad little wrinkly clown.
Yes, I know that last sentence is oddly pervy. But outside of the humor in that, the original intent still stands. (And Holy, Chocolatiest of Buddhas was this rant and plea fun to write. Thanks or reading it!)
Weren't "direct messages" in the early years of Facebook mostly wall-to-wall. Everyone else could see them; I recall reading quite a few conversations that should have been kept private (phone numbers, address, etc). A lot of users I knew back then did not know there was a difference between a user's inbox and their wall.
Wait what, there was news about this back in January in Swedish media, where as Facebook representatives claimed that these were messages written directly to each others walls (I have facebook, and looking back, I would not talk openly about vomiting, personal issues or anything of that sort). I want to recall Facebook later claimed that the chat function from the beginning was not a real chat, but rather "minifeed" posts which were hidden from the wall (so an update of some sort showed these posts, if they started showing with timeline or prior to that, I do not know). Looking back at the articles right now, I don't actually find any references to media abroad, but rather just swedish ones. Anyway, here are the sources I found (all in swedish, sorry). Origin afaik: https://www.flashback.org/t1763964 (requires login) A post that tries to list the facts among other things (a good read) http://www.joinsimon.se/facebook-buggar-och-din-privata-information-hur-star-det-egentligen-till/ Explanation by Facebooks Swedish representative http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.425636 And finally from aftonbladet (sensational articles deluxe) http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14188881.ab Imo, the top three links are the ones worth having a look at.