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| Facebook bug turns on iPhone camera when users scroll through their feed | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Company has confirmed system bug in the latest version of the iOS app, and said it is submitting a fix to Apple | |
| A system bug has been allowing Facebook to access iPhone cameras as users scroll through their feed, the company confirmed on Tuesday. | A system bug has been allowing Facebook to access iPhone cameras as users scroll through their feed, the company confirmed on Tuesday. |
| Twitter user Joshua Maddux tweeted a screen recording this weekend that showed his iPhone camera would open as he scrolled through his social media feed. Other users had also noticed the glitch earlier in the month, one calling it “a little worrying”. | Twitter user Joshua Maddux tweeted a screen recording this weekend that showed his iPhone camera would open as he scrolled through his social media feed. Other users had also noticed the glitch earlier in the month, one calling it “a little worrying”. |
| Facebook confirmed the bug in the latest version of the iOS app on Tuesday. A spokesman said the issue would cause the Facebook app to “navigate to the camera screen adjacent to News Feed when users tapped on photos”. The company said it is submitting a fix to Apple on Tuesday. | Facebook confirmed the bug in the latest version of the iOS app on Tuesday. A spokesman said the issue would cause the Facebook app to “navigate to the camera screen adjacent to News Feed when users tapped on photos”. The company said it is submitting a fix to Apple on Tuesday. |
| “We have seen no evidence of photos or videos being uploaded due to this bug,” the spokesman said. | “We have seen no evidence of photos or videos being uploaded due to this bug,” the spokesman said. |
| The bug was startling for many users who have long suspected the company eavesdrops on users through phone microphones in order to better target them with advertising. | The bug was startling for many users who have long suspected the company eavesdrops on users through phone microphones in order to better target them with advertising. |
| These suspicions have been fueled by uncanny coincidences, such as the company targeting a user with cat food advertisements after the person discussed getting a cat, or advertisements for other specific products being shown after they were discussed aloud. | These suspicions have been fueled by uncanny coincidences, such as the company targeting a user with cat food advertisements after the person discussed getting a cat, or advertisements for other specific products being shown after they were discussed aloud. |
| Facebook has repeatedly denied the theory that it listens in on users, and it has been theorized that the company simply has enough user data to target its 1.7bn users in a scarily accurate way. | Facebook has repeatedly denied the theory that it listens in on users, and it has been theorized that the company simply has enough user data to target its 1.7bn users in a scarily accurate way. |
| Conspiracy theories aside, users have a number of legitimate privacy concerns about Facebook. The company has been the subject of multiple privacy controversies in recent years, from the Cambridge Analytica data breach to a hack of more than 50m accounts in 2018. | Conspiracy theories aside, users have a number of legitimate privacy concerns about Facebook. The company has been the subject of multiple privacy controversies in recent years, from the Cambridge Analytica data breach to a hack of more than 50m accounts in 2018. |
| It has faced increasing calls for antitrust measures, including from presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Executive officer Mark Zuckerberg also faced heated examination in Congress last month over advertising policies and election | It has faced increasing calls for antitrust measures, including from presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Executive officer Mark Zuckerberg also faced heated examination in Congress last month over advertising policies and election |
| Despite the legitimate security concerns regarding Facebook, it appears this particular bug is nothing to worry about, said Chris Morales, head of security analytics at the Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity firm Vectra. | Despite the legitimate security concerns regarding Facebook, it appears this particular bug is nothing to worry about, said Chris Morales, head of security analytics at the Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity firm Vectra. |
| “This is mostly a harmless bug that allows Facebook to use the camera but it is not a compromise or breach of personal data or privacy,” he said. “The easiest thing to do is for users to disable the use of the camera in the iPhone app settings”. | “This is mostly a harmless bug that allows Facebook to use the camera but it is not a compromise or breach of personal data or privacy,” he said. “The easiest thing to do is for users to disable the use of the camera in the iPhone app settings”. |
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