Facebook Apologizes For Bug That Unblocked 800,000 People (gizmodo.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Facebook disclosed a new "bug" on Monday that temporarily let some users who'd been blocked on the service send messages to the people who had blocked them. The bug also let some previously-blocked users view posts that were shared "to a wider audience," such as publicly or with friends of friends, Facebook said. Facebook's privacy boss Erin Egan apologized for the error, writing in a blog that the company is reaching out to "over 800,000" users about the screw-up. The "blocking bug" was active between May 29 and June 5, for eight days, though the company now says Messenger should be acting normally. According to Egan's post: "[the bug] did not reinstate any friend connections that had been severed; 83% of people affected by the bug had only one person they had blocked temporarily unblocked; and Someone who was unblocked might have been able to contact people on Messenger who had blocked them."

Comments

LOSERS!

[Anonymous Coward]

This is what you get, IDIOTS!

Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[Anonymous Coward]

Would using a modern programming language like Rust have prevented this bug from happening?

Re:Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[Anonymous Coward]

No. RUST is not a modern language, it's RUSTY, like ASSembly or C/C++.

Java would have prevented the bug. Java programs, running on a java VM, written in java, running on Java hardware are 100% bug free, and execute faster than C/C++ or RUSTy languages.

Of course, for the ultimate in speed and security, we need an OS written in Java, running in a VM written in Java, running programs written in java, on a cpu running a java vm.

but nobody is perfect, except java programmers.

Re:Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[Anonymous Coward]

No, optimal, synergistic, Agile programming techniques would have done so.

Re:Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[110010001000]

Yes, the Code of Conduct would have prevented the underlying behavior and there would be no reason to block anyone.

Re:Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[ShanghaiBill]

Would using a modern programming language like Rust have prevented this bug from happening?

Possibly, but unlikely. Facebook uses a hodgepodge of mostly PHP and JavaScript, but other languages as well. But this was most likely a design or algorithm flaw rather than an error at the language level.

Their real problem is a lack of testing. A company of Facebook's scale should have a large suite of unit tests, regression tests, functionality tests, and usability tests, that are automatically run both pre- and post-deployment. They should have a rack of VPSes continuously testing and probing. There is no excuse for something like this going 8 days before detection.

Re:Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh yes! And Rust could have also prevented a total shitbag like @TheRealLiarDonaldTrump from knowingly colluding with foreign powers (specifically, the Russians), to influence a national election.

Rust could have prevented the whole thing, but now Humpty trumpty will have a great fall, directly into a prison cell where he and his entire family belong!

Hear that putin? You better be using Rust or else you're goin down next, baby!

Use Rust!

Re: Would Rust have prevented this bug?

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't have to do any testing when you use Rust. The language makes it almost impossible to write buggy code in the first place and the compiler catches any bugs that might sneak past the language. That's what makes Rust so unique compared to old school languages.

That's not really good enough

[Anonymous Coward]

It's always a good source of schadenfreude, to see the fuckups at teh zuck central fuck up again, with other people's data. Because like hell will I ever get an account there.

But that means making yet another boo-boo and apologising for it is enough. It's not. Not for them, not for anyone.

Blocking is so low

[loufoque]

Why would you even block someone, that's so lame.

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

I've blocked you.

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Underrated post!
Jarrod Ramos

Re:Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

You block people when you want to have the last word and not read any follow up replies thereafter.

Re:Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

Not surprisingly, I got modded down as a troll. But not because of my comment.

Re:Blocking is so low

[alvinrod]

In general I'd agree, but there are people out there who have nothing better to do with their lives and some tickle in their brain or bug up their ass that leads them to devote as much of their time as possible to wasting your time or making you miserable. Here's but one example of countless many.

If you're blocking someone just because they disagree with you or aren't validating your belief structure, I'd say that kind of makes you a bit of a dink. If someone's just endlessly spamming you, why devote your attention to any of it?

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Sort of like your DMCA takedowns and your whining to Slashdot management to censor user accounts by deleting them?

Like that, you puffed-up hypocrite?

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would you even block someone, that's so lame.

Because when i want to waste my time with fuck'n idiots I come here instead of farcebook because there are people there I want to have conversations with.

Re:Blocking is so low

[antdude]

Time to block you! :P

Re: Blocking is so low

[houghi]

How do you know that?

Re:Blocking is so low

[tokengeekgrrl]

Clearly, you don't know what it's like to have someone spam/harass you online with insults and threats because you had the audacity to determine you didn't want to be in a relationship with them anymore. I witnessed it happen firsthand to a close friend of mine, They had to block their ex online, change their cell phone number and file a restraining order.

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Because of your withered genitalia?

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

He doesn't. Chris, AKA cdreimer, creimer, cre1mer, The Fat Bastard, and dozens of cashew (except for FatCashewsLoveMe) "sock pockets" (his own semi-literate version of "sock puppet account"), are all the same mentally ill person.

He has delusions of being a popular slashdotter although no one likes him. He thinks he's an author although he can't even publish an anthology of his own vomit. He thinks Slashdot is his "Internet home" even though he shits on it every chance he gets, AND gets users banned then complains when "management" returns the favor.

We are dealing with complex personality problems stemming from an abusive childhood and an adulthood spent refusing to deal with it.

He's an obese 50 year old kissless virgin who spends weekends making videos about dolls and Comic Cons with the laser-like focus of an autistic.

And a huge part of his coping mechanism is to constantly lie to himself and others about what's happening to him. You see, it's NEVER Chris' fault. It's always "creimertards", or some shadowy cabal of Russian agents committed to making his life hell.

It never dawns on our shambling toothless Sasquatch that he reaps what he sows.

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

So much trouble for a problem that is trivially solved with violence. There is no right to harass or stalk.

Re: Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

making videos about dolls and Comic Cons

If you're going to grow a YouTube channel, you need to tap into a niche with a built-in audience. Funko POP! and comic cons have complementary audiences.

Funko has been doubling each year for the last five years. I now own more shares of Funko stock than actual Funkos. I was so impressed with the investor presentation that I adopted it for my own YouTube content strategy.

Silicon Valley Comic Con 2018 has the same number of visitors (~70,000) and the same economic impact as Super Bowl 2018. SVCC is not even one of the larger comic cons in the US.

Re: Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

No one asked that. And if we did, we wouldn't ask you.

Nope. You would look at the biggest YouTuber, see that every video has 1M+ views and tell everyone not to bother with YouTube.if you can't get 1M+ views on a video from DAY 1. Never mind that it took many big YouTubers five years to get established. I'm only seven months into my five year journey.

Congratulations.

That's why out of all my dividend-paying stocks that I've own, Funko is one of the riskiest stock that I own. Most anaylsts peg Funko as a speculative buyout target. It's more liklely to be bought out before the Funko bubble bursts.

Re: Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

Crammar's off to a good start, I guess I hit a nerve. Again.

I'm not the one arguing with random ACs.

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

hat's why out of all my dividend-paying stocks that I've own, Funko is one of the riskiest

Funko has never paid a dividend. Also earlier you claimed it's doubled every 5 years. They've only been listed for about half a year.
I suggested than instead of investing in funko pops you invest in funko stock. I meant actually invest in it and not lie about it on slashdot.

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Funko has been doubling each year for the last five years. I now own more shares of Funko stock than actual Funkos.

Funko has been public for less than a year and if you're buying stock in lots less than a dozen you're raping yourself on trading fees unless you made the uncharacteristically wise decision to trade with a no-fee brokerage.

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

You're right. Instead of arguing with you giving you free advice we should be spamming your comments
###How to defeat CRE|MER on Slashdot### 1)Why-are-people-upset-with-him? 2)What-can-I-do 3)What-are-his-names 4)Who-is-FatCashewsLovesMe 5)How-to-defeat-his-hustles 6)Why-are-there-dashes

1)Why-are-people-upset-with-himHe makes frequent low quality posts for two reasons:
Money) BASICALLY: He made thousands of shitty posts & bragged about how much money it made him.
DETAILS: He wants u to folow his referer links & pick up his cookie. Even if u dont buy what he linked but do buy something else from that site later on he often makes money;He ALSO tries to drive TRAFFIC to his various BLOGS & vlogs.
Karma)He believes karma acumulates infinitely So he makes lots of pointles posts that r not bad enough to mod down;hoping they wil get moded up;He was a raging ahole when he thoght he had a surplus of karma

2)What-can-I-do DOWNMOD u wil usually get more mod points. If he is postng from a new sock acount w/ krma, get his oldst posts first. DOWNMOD him and AC in fresh thrads early on;Metmods wil reward u. METAMOD his posts. REPLY ONLY ANONYMOUSLY to the most deeply nested coments in his threds it helps hide his posts. Dwnvote his SUBMISSIONS, he uses to get krma. REPORT HIM to slshdot & the afiliate progrms he is usng. DONT MENTION his brand names c**mer.

3)What-are-his-namesMost famous:Cre|mer Cdre|mer ILoveFatCashews, Anonymous Cashews, The Fat Bastard aka TCDR
4)Who-is-FatCashewsLoveMe AKA Tardu Lardo,FCLM Funny & anoying; Not me or crimer;He keeps lookout for infestation

5)How-can-I-avoid-his-hustles ===DONT FOLLOW HIS LINKS!!!===
IF YOU MUST:Use a privte tab & nevr buy anything on the same sesion. U can get urself a part of the comision hed get if u use a cashbak shoping portal to buy whatevr he spams on amzon. If he fools u, close tab, cler the cookies for that site. There r sites other than yutube that wil let u watch his videos. I dont know if people view his contnt but I can pictre his jowls jigling at the thoght of people subvrting his business model
6)Why-are-there-dashes & weird stuffI know most only skim thse posts. I want the most imprtnt infrmton to pop out at a glnce & to keep it shrt. I dont use TCDRs name becase he may think tht he benfits from geting it indxed by serch engnes. Id like 2 thnk TCDR & FCLM for editrial advice

Re: Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

Funko has never paid a dividend.

Correct. Which makes it a risky bet in my non-retirment, dividend-paying stock portfolio.

Also earlier you claimed it's doubled every 5 years.

Funko is a 19 years old company. As a private company, it had doubled every year for the last five years.

They've only been listed for about half a year.

A failed IPO from last year. Starting off at $12, sinking down to $7. I picked up shares for $11 last week. It's currently $13.

I meant actually invest in it and not lie about it on slashdot.

You need reading glasses.

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

"random ACs"

Yep, totally random, Chris. BTW, here's a pic of the woman whose name you can't pronounce.

Re: Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

The only time I purchase a dozen shares of stock is when the dividend gets reinvested in the DRIP for free.

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey you sausage-fingered deviant, pretty soon you'll be able to buy a skinny vanilla latte with all those stocks!

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

So if you're bragging about re-investing your dividends for free this implies that you pay trading fees on most of your other trades.
Fuck man you're stupid you should be using a no-fee brokerage or buy in larger lots If you're buying 2 shares of funko for 12 dollars a piece + a typical 5 dollar commission and selling for another 5 dollar commission then your stock has to appreciate in value like 30% before you're even breaking even. But if you account for the lost opportunity cost to pay off your credit cards it's going to need to appreciate like 50%. If you had invested in 2 shares of funko at the very bottom and you cashed out today between your commission costs and the opportunity cost of not paying off your credit card then you would have lost more than half of your gains to being a dumbfuck.

Jesus christ you're your own worst enemy,

Re: Blocking is so low

[cre1mer]

Your numbers are shit. You're missing quite a few zeros for quantity and purchase price. Also, I'm a buy and hold investor. I don't see shares off unless the market raises the share price to unrealistic levels (thanks, Trump!) and I can get favorable tax treatment.

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

A man with credit card debt shouldnâ(TM)t be buying stocks. Paying off credit card debt first is always the smarter move.

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would you even block someone, that's so lame.

because else.. wang pics galore

Re: Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

You're missing quite a few zeros for quantity and purchase price

Funko stock is around 12 dollars a share and you said you never buy 12 shares at a time. Where are these missing zeros? I'm missing zeros on my purchase price? So if I'm missing more than one zero that means you pay 1200 dollars a share?
You said you own more funko shares than funko pops? What do you have hundreds of funko pops?
If I'm missing a zero on quantity and you never order 12 at a time this means you're ordering what? 10? 11? That's the only way your statements even begin to make sense.. you're buying 10 shares of funko at 1200 dollars a share?

Please show me how we can make the numbers congruent with your statements and the reality of the market. You're full of shit at a glance. Anyhow if you want to buy piddly quantities of stock and pretend that it doesn't matter because it has between now and your death to appreciate at least use a no-fee brokerage. Check out "robin hood".

FNKO has a P/E ratio of 40+ that would mean it's share price is inflated compared to most consumer cyclical stocks. The future P/E ratio is very reasonable but It's a single disappointing earnings report away from taking a dive, they've already missed earnings projections once but it was luckily not super inflated at the time and even if they missed their goal they still did pretty good since the projections were relatively high that quarter compared to this one.
So it's not like it can't happen and there are a lot of variables to account for in the market at the moment. Their upcoming earnings projection are a lot lower than when they missed last time so if they fail to deliver even a tiny bit the market will be a lot less forgiving this time.
Maybe this is why the stock market seems like a casino to you.

http://money.cnn.com/quote/forecast/forecast.html?symb=FNKO

Check it out. I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Re:Blocking is so low

[Anonymous Coward]

These people are using Facebook. Lameness seems to be implied.

No they are not

[DarkRookie]

They are not sorry for doing this
They are sorry that they got caught.

Re:No they are not

[Anonymous Coward]

Facebook must be fined for this failure. It doesn't matter why the bug happened because it doesn't excuse the consequences regardless of the reasons. Facebook is responsible and they should be fined. Isn't this a flagrant violation of the new General Data Protection Act (GDPA) passed by the European Union? Maybe they can fine them for this. The going rate was up to 4% of gross yearly revenue per violation, yes?

Re: No they are not

[houghi]

Or they are sorry they need to inform people because of the GDPR.

Sounds like an honest mistake

[greenwow]

I'm sure none of us have ever made a mistake like that. /s

Re:Sounds like an honest mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure none of us have ever made a mistake like that.

Security code is different. It must be checked, re-checked and then tested to exhaustion with all possible permutations before somebody else finally audits and approves the code for release. Move fast and break things indeed. Clearly old habits die hard at Facebook.

Interesting

[DigiShaman]

Good thing I don't have a FB account anymore.

#notapplicable

Fuck that noise, close your FB account you dummies!

Re:Interesting

[MerlTurkin]

A lot of people just never learn. Or they're masochists.

Re:Interesting

[DigiShaman]

They're masochists

Facebook, Enabling Stalkers Since 2004

[Anonymous Coward]

Fail company is fail.

feathers in the strip show

[Anonymous Coward]

Their privacy policy/security team is just the feathers in the strip show. Every now and then it drops and everyone scrambles to adjust it.

LOL!

[MerlTurkin]

Facebook! ROTFLMFAO!

What Ever

[dohzer]

Facebook say 'sorry', whatever-Cambridge-Analytica-are-called-now say 'thank you'.

Fuck Faceberg and the Jews

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't they all just claim they are God's chosen people like the Jews and be the new chosen.

Not surprising

[thePsychologist]

I've never had a Facebook, but the people I know who have one have complained repeatedly over the years about random unblockings.

I wouldn't be surprised if the team responsible for managing the permissions system in Facebook were told "hey guys, don't pay too much attention to the quality of your code here. Wink, wink."

Re:Not surprising

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never had a Facebook, but the people I know who have one have complained repeatedly over the years about random unblockings.

I wouldn't be surprised if the team responsible for managing the permissions system in Facebook were told "hey guys, don't pay too much attention to the quality of your code here. Wink, wink."

I'd be utterly surprised if facebook doesn't have quite a few insiders that are also on the payroll of government agencies around the world, including our own. Some of the incompetence might actually be malice, and not necessarily at facebook's direction.

Simply put, there is too much that is potentially of use not to take advantage of it. It is not as if you have to compromise a person directly to affect their decision making. Something that hits close enough can often distract them at a key time, influence them, or simply force them to resign. I suspect that the hacking of facebook and similar accounts is the next goto way to influence who really controls various countries. You probably wouldn't even notice, particularly if they succeeded in destroying those that might have a chance to change things early on, before they are well known.

That's okay, Facebook...

[Hallux-F-Sinister]

...since I blocked all of Facebook by deleting my Facebook account.

Because of your comments

[Anonymous Coward]

You got modded down for your past spam comments. If only some of my posts were promoting amway products can you imagine that would make me unpopular? Sure that's not how you're supposed to mod but

I'm actually curious if you can't understand that person's name would be mud around here or why. I doubt you'll humor me but I'd be interested in hearing your score if you took this test . You probably have some kinda autism or ADHD and if you learned some coping mechanisms it would improve your ability to deliver on all of your passions. Better writing, better videos, better work performance... really better everything.

Figure out your shit, find someone to help you handle it and enjoy your better life.

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[account_deleted]

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Criminals.

[Anonymous Coward]

These kinds of errors are criminal. It is sloppy and harmful. This company needs to be broken up and charged criminally. Their behaviour is unacceptable.

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[account_deleted]

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[account_deleted]

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Free advice for CRE!MER!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

A failed IPO from last year. Starting off at $12, sinking down to $7. I picked up shares for $11 last week. It's currently $13.

So even though you saw how trump's trade war tweets killed their IPO you've decided to purchase stock a week away from trump actually rolling out the first of his tariffs? It's sure to bring the price of all stocks with higher than sector average p/e ratios down significantly
I thought you said only a fool buys stocks on the way up? I guess you're a fool?

Further on that the tariffs will significantly increase the cost of moving any plastic toy manufacturing to the US as the tariffs on the 6th include most plastic molds and plastic molding machinery. That would not be a big deal but top among candidates for upcoming waves of tariffs are plastic toys. Funko manufactures in China and Vietnam in order to achieve supply chain redundancy and exploit the lower wages available in Vietnam. Good on them but Vietnam's wages are rising and they're in the process of rolling out a new environmental program that will increase the cost of shipping all goods also they've started a campaign to crackdown on dissent which could disrupt their suppliers. Furthermore Vietnam lacks certain specialized manufacturing that funko was only able to get from China.

It would seem doing the specialty manufacturing in the US would make sense from a business and PR perspective, as well as give funko emergency capacity in the event that the vietnamese government shuts down their factory... unfortunately as I said earlier the trump tariffs slated to start on the 6th would make that painfully expensive to start up paired with the cost of us labor.

I know all of this because I like funko's stock too and am not fucking with it at the moment. If you were smart you'd have waited until after the 6th to make your trade but you didn't. Meanwhile you're investing in the stock market at the worst possible time... all the while you're carrying credit card debt. Tell me what's the APR on your post-bankruptcy special? 25%.. I'm sure.

What's this about a dividend paying stock portfolio? So you're keeping money in safe dividend paying stocks? Great idea except there is no stock giving out more than 25% in dividends so that's all money you're flushing down to toilet as long as you have a credit card balance. As you know the smart thing would be to sell off all those silver coins but you won't listen.

Pay off your fucking credit cards, in a few years your bankruptcy will drop off your credit but it won't help you much unless you have a good debt/credit limit ratio.

Re:Free advice for CRE!MER!!!!

[cre1mer]

Trump is going to wuss out on the trade war. Just as he wussed out on the North Koreans last month and will wussed out on the Russians this month.

Re:Free advice for CRE!MER!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Chris wussed out on kissing a girl, just like he wussed out on having sex and wussed out on getting married and starting a family.

You limp-dicked loser. You couldn't even get elected King of your street corner garbage can, and you're giving opinions on world politics?

What's next, Chris? Dating advice? Advice on succeeding in business? How to build interpersonal relationships?

How to lose weight in middle age? How to build a successful "personal brand" (remember that delusion? (CROFL!)

How to write haiku?

Re:Free advice for CRE!MER!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

He'll wuss out after he wrecks the economy but that can't happen in earnest for 48 hours. He also didn't wuss out on the North Koreans. If anything he was foolish to let proven draft dodging war fetishist and part time Jim Henson's muppet; Bolton, put his grubby mitts anywhere near that deal.

He's a psychopath and he definitely doesn't care about your overvalued 41.6 p/e ratio funko stock. I agree under normal circumstances FNKO looks good but with a ratio like that it won't take much to send the stock into a correction.

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[account_deleted]

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Is anyone surprised?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Move fast and break things" is the creed of Facebook.

The company simply doesn't give a fuck about quality, all it cares about is "dumb fucks" volunteering their private information to Fuckerberg.