Every lurker’s worst nightmare – a Facebook glitch was sending friend requests to profiles users viewed
A Facebook bug caused friend requests to be sent to profiles that users visited (photo illustration by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
-
Beware Lurker – a Facebook bug sent automatic friend requests to profiles that users clicked on.
-
The error was caused by a Facebook app update.
-
While the bug has been fixed, people have taken to social media to react with horror and curiosity.
It is the worst nightmare of every sneak: to check the Facebook profile of a crush, a colleague, or someone they may not necessarily know, only to accidentally send a friend request.
That situation became a reality last week when users noticed that after seeing accounts they weren’t connected to, a friend request was automatically sent, revealing any kind of peeping behavior, The Daily Beast reported.
Facebook parent company Meta, which confirmed the issue to Insider, said the bug was due to a Facebook app update that “caused Facebook friend requests to be sent in error.”
“We have addressed this and canceled all requests that were sent due to this error,” said a spokesperson. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Reactions of online users ranged from embarrassment to curiosity as to whether they could be the recipient of such a friend request, which reveals who has viewed their profile online.
“I think we’re all going to find out who our stalkers are today,” one Reddit user commented on the bug.
“Well that explains why I surprisingly got a friend request from some fucking flat earth guy I was making fun of,” said another.
This is the latest bug to hit Facebook users — in August 2022, a “configuration change” resulted in users’ feeds being spammed with celebrity posts.
Back in March 2022, the platform fixed a bug that was amplifying misinformation in user feeds. Some of the most disseminated material contained nudity, violence, and false information, all material that could be considered harmful to viewers. The issue was first acknowledged in October 2021 before being fixed six months later.
Read the original article on Business Insider
