Home / Crime and Justice / Facebook Engineer Accused of Downloading 30,000 Private Photos
Facebook Engineer Accused of Downloading 30,000 Private Photos
7 Apr
Summary
- An engineer downloaded 30,000 private images from Facebook.
- The former Meta employee allegedly bypassed security systems.
- Meta discovered the breach over a year ago and reported it to police.
A criminal investigation is underway concerning a former Facebook engineer accused of downloading approximately 30,000 private user images. The ex-Meta employee, residing in London, allegedly designed a script to circumvent the company's security systems, allowing unauthorized access to personal photographs.
Meta reported that the suspected breach was discovered over a year prior to the current date, prompting the company to refer the matter to UK law enforcement. The engineer has since been terminated, affected users were notified, and security measures have been enhanced.
This incident adds to Meta's recent challenges, including a €91 million fine in Ireland for mishandling user passwords and a significant court defeat alongside Google concerning social media addiction. The engineer is currently on police bail and must report to authorities in May, with restrictions on foreign travel.
