Uli Deck/dpa (Archivbild)
A former Meta worker is claimed to have written his personal software program to obtain round 30,000 non-public photographs of Fb customers. The corporate has fired the person.
No time? blue Information summarizes for you
- A former Meta worker downloaded round 30,000 non-public photographs from the Fb platform.
- Workers don’t have entry to customers’ non-public images. Nevertheless, the accused wrote his personal software program to avoid the corporate’s safety limitations.
- Meta has dismissed the “man in his thirties” and the investigation towards him is ongoing.
Hundreds of thousands of personal photos are despatched through Fb each day, from kitschy sunsets to intimate photographs. These images will not be supposed for the general public; not even Meta workers have entry to them. Nevertheless, a London-based worker is claimed to have illegally downloaded round 30,000 non-public photographs utilizing specifically created software program.
A Meta spokesperson instructed the BBC that the infringement was found over a 12 months in the past. Consequently, the corporate instantly dismissed the suspected worker and “referred the matter to the regulation enforcement authorities”. The London Metropolitan Police at the moment are investigating the case. That they had additionally beforehand acquired a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Customers notified
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police mentioned {that a} man in his thirties had been arrested in November 2025 on suspicion of unauthorized entry to pc information. He has since been launched on bail and is because of report back to the police in Might.
Meta mentioned it had notified customers whose photographs had been downloaded and improved its safety programs. The incident is the most recent of many safety issues which have already occurred at Meta. Along with Fb, the corporate additionally owns WhatsApp and Instagram.
