Facebook confirms uploading 1.5 million users’ email accounts without consent

The social media giant, Facebook, uploaded the contact details of 1.5 million new users without their permission in the last three years, Facebook confirmed in a statement on Thursday. “The error was discovered amid a change to the sign-up process made in March,’’ Facebook stated in a publication by the U.S. news website Business Insider. […]

The social media giant, Facebook, uploaded the contact details of 1.5 million new users
without their permission in the last three years, Facebook confirmed in a statement on Thursday.

“The error was discovered amid a change to the sign-up process made in March,’’ Facebook stated in a publication
by the U.S. news website Business Insider.

The California-based company said the details were not shared with anyone and are now being deleted.

“The mistake has been rectified and affected users are being informed,’’ Facebook added.

The company has seen a string of gaffes involving users’ sensitive information in recent years.

For example, posts from several million users who wanted them to be only viewable to their Facebook friends were
shared publicly, making them visible to the whole world.

Business Insider broke the news about the mistake, reporting that in some cases, a new user’s email address
was inadvertently uploaded during the password verification process.

“Facebook removed the email password verification step from the sign-up process last month,’’ the company
said in the statement. (dpa/NAN)