Bug: Facebook bug unlocks some users from people blocking lists and Messenger service

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook announced Monday that it was informing more than 800,000 users that a software bug had temporarily unlocked people on the social network and on its Messenger service.

The glitch active between May 29 and June 5 has been corrected, according to Facebook, which is striving to regain trust as a result of a data privacy scandal from Cambridge Analytica.

"We know that the ability to block someone is important," said Erin Egan, chief privacy officer of Facebook, in a blog post.

"We would like to apologize and explain what happened."

Blocking someone on Facebook prevents them from seeing messages in a blocker's profile; log in as a friend or start Messenger conversations.

Block someone also automatically "unfriends" the person.

"There are many reasons why people are blocking another person on Facebook," said Egan.

"Their relationship may have changed or they may want to take a break from someone who publishes content that they find boring."

People are stuck for harsher reasons, such as harbadment or intimidation, Egan added.

The bug of the software did not restore the severed friend connections on the social network, but someone who was stuck could have been able to reach a Messenger blocker. , according to Facebook.

"While someone who was unlocked could not see the content shared with friends, they could have seen things displayed to a wider audience," Egan said of the problem.

The vast majority of the more than 800,000 people affected by the virus had only one person stranded to be temporarily unblocked, according to Facebook.

The people affected by the bug will receive notifications encouraging them to check their blocked lists.

Facebook's chief, Mark Zuckerberg, has been criticized by the European Parliament and the US Congress over a mbadive violation of users' personal data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Facebook admitted that up to 87 million users could have had their data diverted by the British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked for US President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign.