Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Facebook Data Breach: What You Should Know

It has been quite a while since user and consumer data has had the promise of being completely secure. Sony, Target, Equifax, and Yahoo! are just a handful of the names that come to mind when discussing the topic of security and information hacks. In mid-March 2018, Facebook was added to that seemingly infinite list of data breaches, but there was something different about this one - it was done legally.

Where the 2014 Sony breach or the massive 2017 Equifax breach were orchestrated by criminal third parties, the Facebook “leak” of user information was due to the social networking site’s application programming interface (API) and a very crafty data analytics firm.


It had been known since 2015 that Cambridge Analytica (CA), which was directly connected to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, was using Facebook to harvest user data from millions of profiles to build a more efficient marketing database. While that may sound like it crosses the line of legality, it was Facebook’s own API that allowed the informational breach to occur.

Prior to a 2015 update to the API, a loophole granted third-party developers access to data of both users of their apps and the friends of those users. CA merely utilized this careless gap in the interface to collect data from over 50 million users. The analytics firm did allegedly turn around and use this information for marketing purposes for the Trump campaign, which did go against Facebook’s terms of service.

Why a story that’s almost three-years-old is gaining traction once again is more about news outlets connecting the dots between CA’s actions and Facebook’s acknowledgment that such an abuse of user data was going on. The one upside to all of this, as pointed out by vice president and deputy general counsel at Facebook Paul Grewal, is that “[n]o systems were infiltrated, and no passwords or sensitive pieces of information were stolen or hacked.”

Those concerned that their private personal information has once again been stolen can rest easy. Kind of. What this sort of data breach does is make the public aware of what information is technically not private, even when an account is set to strict privacy settings. Status updates, interests, and check-ins are an example of the type of information lifted by CA and used in the tactical targeting of millions of users. It all calls back to a good rule of thumb: Don’t post anything on social media you don’t want to become publicly known.

Though Facebook’s actions and API fell within all legal confines, the outcry, which comes from sources like WhatsApp’s co-founder Brian Acton, is based more on the company’s ethics than the law. The social networking company did reverse the known loophole in its API, but only after CA was caught red-handed using a system that Facebook had implemented. It doesn’t help that advocacy groups have been trying to push for user data privacy, which would have avoided such a fiasco.

&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2018%2F3%2F20%2F17145200%2Fbrian-acton-delete-facebook-whatsapp&tfw_site=verge

How you react to the breach of data is a matter of personal preference. While some users may view it as a company being ingenious and cleverly using what legal resources are available, others may see it as an advantageous and unethical act facilitated by the very social media network they trusted with their data.

More from News

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less