Tech Brief: Facebook Bug Made Private Posts of 14 Million Users Public

In what's a continuing string of privacy blunders that have haunted Facebook ever since it found itself accused of spreading fake news and computational propaganda, the massive online social network stirred up fresh trouble Thursday afternoon in what could further erode public trust in the platform, even as it faces calls for increased regulation. This time, self-inflected though, thanks to a software bug that changed the default privacy settings of as many as 14 million users, fooling them into thinking that they were posting status updates only to their friends and families, when in reality it was being shared publicly. The bug was active from May 18 to May 27, the company said, adding, "We apologise for this mistake."