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Facebook Bug Prevented Users From Deleting Their Accounts (venturebeat.com)

Posted by msmash on from the happens-every-single-time dept.

Emil Protalinski, reporting for VentureBeat: Until just a few days ago, some Facebook users could not delete their accounts -- the option to do so simply didn't work. After VentureBeat reached out to Facebook regarding the issue, an engineer was able to squash the bug.

Two weeks ago, I got an email from a VentureBeat reader who couldn't delete his Facebook account. He claimed there were others also having issues -- no matter what they tried, they simply could not delete Facebook. I didn't believe him at first. [...] I did my due diligence. The least I could do was help him delete his account. Upon request, the reader was gracious enough to let me log into his Facebook account so I could see for myself. No matter what I tried, and regardless of which browser I used, the Facebook help page for deleting your account would not load when logged into his account. The reporter contacted a Facebook spokesperson, who after looking into the matter concluded that a bug prevented some people with "a large number of posts" from deleting their accounts. Facebook says it has resolved the issue.

11 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. Don't you mean... by ChodaBoyUSA · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So called "bug"?

    1. Re:Don't you mean... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That was not a bug...that was a feature! I have read many times from different sources that even if you delete your Fakebook account, your data is not deleted, but continues to be sold to whomever will pay. Fakebook even attempts to collect data on people who are not signed up for a Fakebook account.

    2. Re:Don't you mean... by rtb61 · · Score: 2

      There was a bug, just not the bug you are looking for, heh, heh. The bug was of course letting you see what was really going on. Delete your account, yeah sure, account not deleted because shh, it never is. So delete your account, yeah sure, access to your account denied to you and from your perspective deleted but of course still entirely intact, just not accessible by you. That was of course the bug, account still not deleted but the forget to make it inaccessible to outside users. Still alive and well and still mining your privacy.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  2. "Delete" by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Nobody "deletes" anyway ... disk space is way cheaper than data loss.

    UPDATE users SET deletedflag = 1

    Whether that works or not, your records are still there ...

    1. Re:"Delete" by squiggleslash · · Score: 4, Funny
      Try logging in with the password:

      '; UPDATE users SET deletedflag = 1; --

      and let us know what happens.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  3. Bug? by Zorro · · Score: 2

    You mean FEATURE!

    1. Re:Bug? by Desler · · Score: 2

      The bug is that someone noticed that nothing was being deleted.

  4. How adorable, he thought it was a 'bug'! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

    It's Zuckerbook, fooling you into believing your account is 'deleted' when it's not is a FEATURE not a BUG, that way Zuckerbook can keep your data and continue to make more money off it.

  5. Was that a bug or a feature? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 2

    Given Facebook's behavior to date, I'd say it loos more like an intended feature. That it affected only a subset of people, well, that's the bug.

  6. Call FaceBook technical support by MobyDisk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The real take-away here is that lots of people are relying on products for which there is no technical support. Bear that in mind next time you rely upon an advertising-supported service.

  7. Yeah... a bug. by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 2

    Sure. A bug. Yeah. Oops. Totally an entirely not at all on-purpose, completely innocent accident that just... so... HAPPENS to be of benefit to Facebook and the detriment of a would-be ex-user.

    Total coincidence. Sure. Not incompetence or deliberate action. Nooo... it woul not , COULD not be that.

    --
    Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.