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Facebook Exposes Employee Data To Terrorists (theguardian.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The Guardian is reporting that Facebook accidentally exposed the personal information of the moderators that remove terrorist content to the groups that posted that very content. From the article it looks like 6 of them actually had their profiles viewed. From the article, "The security lapse affected more than 1,000 workers across 22 departments at Facebook who used the company's moderation software to review and remove inappropriate content from the platform, including sexual material, hate speech and terrorist propaganda."

What are Facebook's responsibilities here?


24 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. responsibilities? by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    we don't need no stinking responsibilities.

    1. Re: responsibilities? by dougdonovan · · Score: 1

      facebook = everyones business is everyones business.

    2. Re:responsibilities? by Bodhammer · · Score: 1

      That is just racist. You are not respecting the piece loving, genital mutilating, mass murderers. Off to sensitivity training for you!

      --
      "I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
  2. Facebook fully liable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In my opinion, as Facebook opened these persons to such a risk, they should assume full and complete liability for anything that comes from it.

    1. Re:Facebook fully liable by Kergan · · Score: 1

      That liability won't be worth squat for the people involved if they get killed.

  3. Re:Ensuring Their Safety by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We're sorry we published your name, censoring duty and home address to the Goat Bladder Knitting and IED Club. Please click here to enroll in three free months of credit monitoring..."

  4. How much will it take? by Grishnakh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How much will it take for people to finally get a clue about how bad Facebook is?

    1. Re:How much will it take? by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      Considering other corporations are even worse, what is the point of fighting back?

      You don't need to "fight back", and other corporations are irrelevant. Facebook is a non-essential service which provides nothing of value. It's just like having a cable TV package, for example (or worse, a package with ESPN). The simple solution is to stop using it and do something better with your time.

      Facebook is not an essential utility/service like your water/sewer service, electricity, or even internet service. It's no more useful or essential than playing Flappy Birds on your phone.

  5. That's right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They are one of the three biggest advertising companies on Earth (Google and Yahoo! being one and three respectively) and they are rich and above the law.

    See, corporations are people until it comes to criminal prosecution. "Oh, we'll fine them millions! And they just let the stockholders eat it (Ahahahahahah) and the stock goes up because they got off with just the cost of a month's worth of toilet paper.

  6. Re:Ensuring Their Safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We've also improved our privacy options. Uncheck here if you do not want terrorists to be unable to not view your personal details.

  7. Strange Policy by mfh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find it utterly strange that the same profiles that a moderator would use in their official duties would be somehow linked to their own Facebook profile. That seems to me like a huge security oversight. Paid mods should ALWAYS have separate credentials from their own personal stuff. What happens when FB fires someone? They just change their FB acct to non-admin? Seems like a huge problem if there are any rollbacks.

    No. You gotta keep shit separated. I get that most forums around typically associate user accts with privs... but that's bad policy if your system is going to be targeted. Better to have secret hidden mod accts that can be audited internally but do not show up externally... and can't be accessed remotely. Remote mod accts should have extra layers of auditing and security as well.

    I'm probably preaching to the choir, but FB never seemed like a very talented company, or at best their amoral practices will always be to their disadvantage, as we see here.

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
    1. Re:Strange Policy by swillden · · Score: 1

      I find it utterly strange that the same profiles that a moderator would use in their official duties would be somehow linked to their own Facebook profile. That seems to me like a huge security oversight.

      I'll bet they were linked to their corporate profile, which likely also doubles as the employee directory entry. As such, it probably didn't have truly personal details, like home address or personal phone number, which would only be in HR systems and wouldn't be exposed to other employees. But it would have their complete name, and office location (city), and other tidbits that might be usable to identify them IRL.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  8. The real problem here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is that the employees even had a personal Facebook account to begin with instead of an Employees Only type of account that doesn't have any personal info on them.

  9. Re:Rats! by computational+super · · Score: 2

    trying to one-up Uber

    Modern western civilization has taught me that you can get away with absolutely anything as long as you make sure to keep appeasing feminists. Keep that one rule in mind, and you're teflon.

    --
    Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
  10. TOS Update by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's now prohibited under Facebook's Terms of Service to kill, maim, or place a hit on any member of Facebook's staff.

    Violators are subject to having their accounts suspended or deleted without notice.

  11. Re: Ensuring Their Safety by TheOuterLinux · · Score: 1

    I'm looking, but there's no N$A option either. Is there something else I'm supposed to sign up for? Download? *Panics* DO MY APPS AND API NOT PLEASE YOU MA' LORDSHIP?!!! "100 Hail Micro$ofts and be on your way pleb!" Mark makes a Z motion in the air with his hand.

  12. Oops... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Ask Kathy Griffin.

    Who is Seth Rich?

  13. To be expected by evolutionary · · Score: 2

    This is what happens when a large amount of something valuable is available from one convenient location. when are people going to stop sending sensitive data to these guys. They send our data to various state police department (and probably federal+ groups as well) who are reportedly using that data for a face recognition system deemed illegal in two states (and the police don't seem to care the state laws make it's use illegal), marketing companies, and probably anyone who will pay Facebook enough. There is no real privacy on Facebook as it was never a priority. When are we all going to learn.

    --
    "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
  14. Easy civil action by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    This seems an easy civil action. Fault from Facebook is obvious and documented, damages are huge. That should attract a lot of lawyers.

  15. Terrorists? by bongey · · Score: 1

    The FBI?

  16. What planet do you live on exactly? by s.petry · · Score: 1

    Americans have Democratic policies everywhere. From ACA which most American's didn't want to "Sanctuary" Cities and States which ignore and fight against Federal Law and the US Constitution. Gun-Free Zones are a product of Democratic control, Democrats push back against school choice, and have propagated SJWs, BLM, antifa, and other groups who behave both violently and criminally.

    Most of us on the R side just want to be left the f&*k alone and want Government to be minimized. Pretty much what we are supposed to be guaranteed in the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. The far left believes that Government can solve all of our problems and should be pervasive.

    Lets not forget that the Democratic party wanted slavery and fought a Civil war over it. The Democratic Party voted for Jim Crow laws, and still promotes identity politics and tribalism. The first Republican President fought to rid the US of slavery, and the Republican Party voted to end discrimination, tests for voting, and voted fpr racial equality in the 60s. And before you talk about the "bit switch", that do some homework and find out that it was exactly 1 person who changed sides.

    You are living in a delusional lie if you believe all your problems are from Republicans.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    1. Re:What planet do you live on exactly? by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Please don't insult our intelligence by comparing today's elephant posse with the party of Lincoln.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    2. Re: What planet do you live on exactly? by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Republicans just want to be left alone..

      Except for women, who shouldn't be able to make their own medical decisions.

      Completely asinine framing of the Abortion debate. Not that you could debate the subject with any degree of intelligence, but there are some good papers and debates out there in case a drive by reads your idiocy. Hint: There is a human growing inside a woman during pregnancy.

      Or gays or straight who like butt stuff. The State has an obligation to criminalize that for some reason.

      Well, 2 for 2 in attempting to minimize complex issues to a single asinine point. Republicans in general don't care about sexual preferences. The debate has been over much more complex issues, such as as person wanting to force another person to act against their Religious beliefs in a private business. There are also some interesting points regarding adoption, health care, etc.. etc...

      Or hermaphrodites, because where they take a piss is suuuuuper important to national defense interests.

      Well, 3 out of 3 times so far you have demonstrated you lack any intellect at all. Are you seriously attempting to claim all transvestites/transexuals are hermaphrodites? Perhaps your claim is that instead of who really was demanding to let men who dress as women for any reason into the woman's rest room, it was just a few innocent hermaphrodites? In either case you are wrong! Why not listen to an actual transvestite on the subject and find "Blaire White".

      Oh and drugs other than tobacco and alcohol. Because people shouldn't get high from weed they grow on their farm. Dry in their barn and smoke in their home. Because reasons.

      And I'm not even interested in that stuff. Republican economic policies are even more absurd.

      Well, you just explained your lack of brain cells and lack of ability to debate complex topics at even a junior high school level. Sure, you don't worry about weed (which is why you mentioned it) *wink wink*. Go back to your bong.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  17. "Because terrorists" by munch117 · · Score: 1

    So, judging by the comments so far, all you have to do is say "terrorists", and then all of slashdot becomes a fan of faceless, unaccountable censorship.

    Let's all join hands and create a world where content is filtered by the anonymous minions of a few megacorporations, and you absolutely do not have the right to face your accuser, challenge the decision, or even know the rules by which you are being judged.