Facebook’s Latest Data Incident Unleashes New Concerns

Facebook’s privacy issues intensified last week when the social network revealed cyberattackers took advantage of its code to access – and possibly expose – the personal information of nearly 50 million user accounts.

This latest incident follows public and congressional heat following the March 2018 reporting that data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica acquired and used data of, at last count, 87 million Facebook users; and reports this past summer that Facebook is working with several financial institutions to incorporate customers’ personal financial data, including credit and debit card transactions and checking account balances, to extend the Facebook’s footprint.

The newest incident differs from the Cambridge Analytica situation. In this event, according to Facebook, attackers could see everything in a victim’s profile. “We were able to fix the vulnerability and secure the accounts, but it definitely is an issue that it happened in the first place.” Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.