Facebook has indicated that, since May 2016, it has collected the contact lists of 1.5 million of its users (those who are new to the social network). According Business Insider, Facebook has “unintentionally uploaded to Facebook” this contact data. The company is now taking steps to delete the personal details.
As Digital Journal summarized, Facebook did not have a good 2018, and least from the perspective of its users and the public at large as marked by many scandals over personal data and data sharing (with Cambrdige Analytica revelation being the stand-out event). So far, 20109 has not been much better for the social media network.
READ MORE: A look back at the year of the Facebook scandals
The latest issue came about after a security researcher called e-Sushi observed that Facebook was asking some users to enter their email passwords when they signed up for new accounts, ostensibly to verify their identities. This process was criticised by security experts. It was further noted that when a user enters their email password, a message appeared advising the user that it was “importing” their contacts, without any option for the user to grant permission.
With the process exposed, Facebook has indicated that it did not mean for this to happen and it is now undertaking an exercise to delete the collected content. The BBC reports that Facebook will also notify each affected user once the deletion process is complete.
