Student Loses Facebook Internship For Pointing Out Privacy Flaws

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You built an app that exploits a privacy flaw in Facebook Messenger? You can kiss your summer internship goodbye.

The app capitalized on a privacy flaw that Facebook had been aware of for about three years: the Facebook Messenger app automatically shared users’ locations with anyone who they messaged.
 
So it forced them to address the issue, and because they had to rush to fix it, they were forced to shut down one of their data mining tactics. I can see why they're pissed. This also highlights another reason that people should distance themselves from Facebook as far as possible.

I know we're all just data points for various companies these days. Facebook is just doesn't give a fak who sees that data until it "appears" bad on them.
 
Which is part of the reason why I only log onto Facebook maybe once a month anymore.

FREE = we sell your information.
 
Whether or not you like facebook, it is just dumb as shit to embarrass the company that you're looking to work for. If you want to impress your boss then you wait until your internship starts and then quietly point out the flaw internally. Making an app and tweeting about it is just begging to get your internship cancelled.
 
This dude will land on his feet because of this, I'm sure.
 
"Despite being asked repeatedly to remove the code, the creator of this tool left it up. This is wrong and it’s inconsistent with how we think about serving our community.”

I don't think he really cared if he got an internship at Facebook or not. Considering he has a blog that revealed how Facebook tracks your data I expect he doesn't even like the company and probably thinks Zukerberg is a douche.

"In the end, Khanna had a pretty great summer after all. He accepted another internship with a tech start-up in Silicon Valley. And, he said, the back-and-forth with Facebook turned out to be an “internship experience” in itself that taught him a great deal."
 
I guess Facebook is looking for more sheeple and sycophants than actual innovators and boat rockers.

Also all my Facebook email goes to spam and I check it about once a month. Tried Messenger once over a year ago and it was beyond terrible. On my phone I just use the mobile site.
 
Only a sick person would want to work at facebook let alone use it.
 
OEM said:
This dude will land on his feet because of this, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

Agreed, a few well placed calls might land a career shift to security software in their future...
 
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