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Facebook may have inadvertently exposed 6 million users’ email addresses and phone numbers

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facebook-tablet-event

Facebook is playing damage control today after a data breach potentially exposing the email addresses and phone numbers of Zuckerberg and Co’s 6 million users had the social network sending out apology letters. No, this wasn’t a terrorist attack, merely a glitch in Facebook’s Timeline download feature where a user could download their entire timeline but in a strange twist, download the email addresses and/or phone numbers of everyone Facebook calls “People your may know.”

Nothing terribly huge, but something many users definitely may not have been cool with. Facebook said they’ve already patched up the bug, and that they’d be notifying government regulators in the US, Canada, Europe about the hiccup. Anyone absolutely appalled that a your friend’s friend could now be in possession of your email address and phone number?

[Facebook]

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

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30 Comments

  1. its times like this I’m glad I don’t have a Facebook account.

    1. Yeah, same here, I didn’t remove my FB account, but I gutted it, now I’m glad I did :-)

      1. Remember though, they sometimes keep your data backed up else where.

      2. I have heard from hardcore Facebook people that Facebook is on some noticeable decline. What have you observed?

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      The top of my “people you may
      know” list are usually people I know and don’t want to friend. A leak
      like this is actually very serious. It can result in your contact info
      getting out to someone like a stalker.

  2. Wait, people use their real phone #s on Facebook? With all the phone services like Google Voice… SMH

    1. I know, right? So now, a friend of a friend might have my text+ number and my facebook e-mail address. Oh Nooo! If they knew how to get it, most people on facebook are pretty clueless.

      1. Which explains its popularity.

    2. I think people on Facebook aren’t aware of what Google voice is.

  3. So you’re telling me my friend’s friend whom I have probably met before may have received my phone number!? NO! NO! NOOOOO!!!!

  4. The top of my “people you may know” list are usually people I know and don’t want to friend. A leak like this is actually very serious. It can result in your contact info getting out to someone like a stalker.

    1. There’s got to be a better like service out there. A service that lets you chat with friends, play games together, tell people when they’re taking a poop, and keep your thing private. It would be cool of they had unlimited video calling and voice calling too but I just can’t think of another one like this.

      Well darn. Let’s just hope Facebook doesn’t mess up again. Darn Facebook cmooooon

  5. Good thing I use a junk email and Facebook does not have my phone #

    1. But above all. Thank the lord that you can keep using Facebook.

  6. deleted my Facebook yesterday after deleting every post and picture and along with my phone number. perfect timing

    1. you know that facebook will have cache and backups from yesterday, right? unfortunately deleting everything first doesn’t do much. once its been uploaded to the internet, it will always be on the internet :(

  7. Not that i care about such things but the word “inadvertently” referring to anything Facebook does is dubious at best. I wont delete my Facebook, is anyone surprised by any of this by now ?

  8. Well, what kind of idiot puts their phone number on Facebook anyway?

    1. This is Facebook we’re talking about here, not Mensa.

  9. Now everybody leave facebook and make a google+ account

    1. There’s a superior product waiting for them!

  10. I’m not worried about this one bit. I use Google plus.

    Although i might want to get my hands on some of that leaked data. Just in case.

  11. I have heard it called ” face fart” by a couple of people.

    1. I’d stop hanging out with those type of people if I were you.

  12. my phone number and email??? oooo im so scared lol

    1. considering what can be done with such information. yes be scared.

  13. Probably due to the android malware.

  14. They keep a shocking amount of information on their users, including all logins, ip address, private messages, deleted friends, etc, etc. If there is a way to monetize everything about you, they will figure it out. Information = marketing $.

  15. Then its a good thing that I have NEVER trusted Facebook with anything I wouldnt share publicly. Namely my phone number.

    FACEBOOK IS GARBAGE

  16. Probably through android malware.

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