This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/13/facebook-internship-harvard-student-messenger-app-privacy

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Facebook rescinds internship from student who exposed app privacy flaws Facebook rescinds internship from student who exposed app privacy flaws
(1 day later)
A Harvard University student says he lost his internship at Facebook after he launched a browser application from his dorm room that exploited privacy flaws on the company’s mobile messenger.A Harvard University student says he lost his internship at Facebook after he launched a browser application from his dorm room that exploited privacy flaws on the company’s mobile messenger.
Aran Khanna’s app – called Marauder’s Map in tribute to the Harry Potter books – showed that users of Facebook Messenger could pinpoint the exact locations of people they were talking to.Aran Khanna’s app – called Marauder’s Map in tribute to the Harry Potter books – showed that users of Facebook Messenger could pinpoint the exact locations of people they were talking to.
Related: Facebook reportedly testing Twitter-like breaking news app
He told Boston.com he created the app to show the consequences of unintentionally sharing data and thought he was doing a public service.He told Boston.com he created the app to show the consequences of unintentionally sharing data and thought he was doing a public service.
“I didn’t write the program to be malicious,” he said.“I didn’t write the program to be malicious,” he said.
Khanna launched the app from his dorm room in May and said 85,000 people downloaded it.Khanna launched the app from his dorm room in May and said 85,000 people downloaded it.
Days later, Facebook asked Khanna to disable it. A week after that, Facebook released a Messenger app update addressing the flaw.Days later, Facebook asked Khanna to disable it. A week after that, Facebook released a Messenger app update addressing the flaw.
Facebook spokesman Matt Steinfeld said the company had been working on a Messenger update months before it became aware of Khanna’s app.Facebook spokesman Matt Steinfeld said the company had been working on a Messenger update months before it became aware of Khanna’s app.
“This isn’t the sort of thing that can happen in a week,” Steinfeld said.“This isn’t the sort of thing that can happen in a week,” Steinfeld said.
Two hours before he was supposed to leave to start his internship, Khanna received a call from a Facebook employee telling him that the company was rescinding the offer because he had violated the Facebook user agreement when he scraped the site for data.Two hours before he was supposed to leave to start his internship, Khanna received a call from a Facebook employee telling him that the company was rescinding the offer because he had violated the Facebook user agreement when he scraped the site for data.
Khanna wrote about the experience in a case study published Tuesday for the Harvard Journal of Technology Science. He spent the summer interning at a Silicon Valley startup and said the back-and-forth with Facebook ended up being a learning experience as well.Khanna wrote about the experience in a case study published Tuesday for the Harvard Journal of Technology Science. He spent the summer interning at a Silicon Valley startup and said the back-and-forth with Facebook ended up being a learning experience as well.
Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg launched the social media site from a Harvard dorm room in 2004.Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg launched the social media site from a Harvard dorm room in 2004.