Facebook inboxes given to friends - major glitch unfolding

Readers of this blog have written in about their first hand experiences of this week's Facebook crash. One recurring glitch appears disturbing - that of inboxes falling into the hands of 'friends'. One reader said that their inbox had several emails marked as read. Another said someone they knew was given access to one of their Facebook friends' inboxes where private messages about them caused no end of grief with personal information falling into the wrong hands.

Today's Metro has reported on this too: "When I tried to click on my inbox I got someone else's," said one [user]. "If I clicked on any of the messages it took me to my homepage." This blog cuts to the chase and tells it how it is - be careful the next time you talk shit about someone on Facebook. You never know who might end up reading it.

It's one thing for a web app to be down. But if users think their friends could see inbox messages (the kind of messages not suitable for a wall, a status or a photo) then Facebook will come unstuck. One of its strongest lures is its walled garden surely.

Update 3/8/07: Facebook is down again - no access at all and yet more reports of mixed up inboxes in the blogs

Comments

[Dean Whitbread]

All of Facebook's videos are unprotected anyway, even without the glitch... so be careful what you wear...

[Sarah Stimson]

All my groups have now disappeared from my profile. Every time I move from Home to Profile I have to log in again. Oh dear. I think Facebook wishes it was out in the sun and not stuck in the office struggling to cope.