Facebook ‘Unintentionally’ Uploads the Email Contacts of 1.5 Million New Users Since May 2016

Social media giant Facebook reportedly “unintentionally” uploaded the email contacts of 1.5 million new users on the site since May 2016.

The Daily Mail reports that social media giant Facebook may have “unintentionally uploaded” the email contacts of 1.5 million new users who registered on the site since May of 2016. Facebook claims that the contacts were not shared with anyone and that the site is currently going through the process of deleting the uploaded email contacts.

This is just the latest in Facebook’s recent series of scandals and internal turmoil, Wired Magazine recently published a report detailing a year of internal turmoil at Facebook, much of which started with condemnation by George Soros, who used Breitbart News’ term for Silicon Valley’s big tech giants, the “Masters of the Universe,” as he announced, “their days are numbered.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last year, Hungarian financier George Soros announced plans to target social media firms in a speech to a room of tycoons, ministers, and journalists. Soros stated: “Mining and oil companies exploit the physical environment; social media companies exploit the social environment,” he said. “The owners of the platform giants consider themselves the masters of the universe, but in fact they are slaves to preserving their dominant position … Davos is a good place to announce that their days are numbered.” Breitbart News dubbed the Big Tech giants of Silicon Valley “The Masters of the Universe” and tracks stories about Facebook and its peers on a page by that name.

NBC News recently reported that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg allegedly used Facebook user data as a bargaining chip to consolidate the social media platform’s power over its competitors, while publicly proclaiming to protect user privacy. Leaked company documents obtained by NBC news dated between 2011 and 2015 show how Zuckerberg and his management team used Facebook’s massive database of user information as leverage over partnered companies.

The documents obtained by NBC include emails, webchats, presentations, spreadsheets, and meeting summaries which show how Facebook would reward favored companies by giving them greater access to user data. Rival companies were denied the same access. Facebook has previously denied accusations of preferential treatment towards particular companies.

Read more about Facebook’s latest scandals and issues here.