Facebook: Most users’ public information was accessed.
The Washington Post (4/4, Timberg, Romm, Dwoskin, 15.03M) reports that Facebook announced Wednesday that “‘malicious actors’ took advantage of search tools on its platform, making it possible for them to discover the identities and collect information on most of its 2 billion users worldwide.” In addition, the company announced that “Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy hired by President Trump and other Republicans, had improperly gathered detailed Facebook information on 87 million people, of whom 71 million were Americans.” Rebecca Jarvis reported on ABC World News Tonight (4/4, story 2, 1:20, Llamas, 14.63M), “Starting Monday, Facebook will tell users if their information was may have been shared with Cambridge Analytica, by adding a link at the top of the news feed.” The company also announced “several other changes, including restricting access for third party apps and deleting phone and text logs after a year.”
The CBS Evening News (4/4, story 6, 0:30, Glor, 11.17M) reported that Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg “will testify before Congress next week.” The Wall Street Journal (4/4, McKinnon, Wells, Subscription Publication, 6.5M) says Zuckerberg will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11. According to a company spokesman, conversations are ongoing about additional hearings.
Miguel Almaguer reported in the lead story for NBC Nightly News (4/4, lead story, 2:10, Holt, 16.61M) that some people are leaving Facebook and “the company is losing value, down $87 billion.”
Panera Bread breach illustrates dangers of loyalty programs.
The Washington Post (4/4, Siegel, 15.03M) discusses the Panera Bread customer data breach, saying it “makes one wonder: Is a free sandwich worth the hassle of having personal identifying information floating into the wrong hands?” The Post adds, “Consumers will decide for themselves at what cost they’re willing to volunteer personal information. And the feeling that our data are everywhere has made some people feel more cavalier about it.”
