Facebook terminated an employee who abused privileges to stalk women. The social media company has not revealed the former employee's identity.
A Startling Discovery
On Tuesday, May 1, NBC News reported that Facebook took evasive action after a security engineer used some of its property and stalked unsuspecting women. The person that sounded the alarm about this stalker was Jackie Stokes. Stokes, who founded the security firm Spyglass Security, revealed that she came into possession of the stalker's Tinder responses.
Stokes sent out a tweet this past weekend showing a conversation with the former Facebook employee, who revealed that he was a professional stalker with the alleged victim. The security entrepreneur looked for the stalker's identity and reached out through social media for advice on how to deal with this person. Stokes admitted that she received help from numerous Facebook employees who helped her turn over the stalker.
Facebook Responds
Tech Times recently corresponded with Alex Stamos, Facebook's chief security officer, and he stated that the company is investigating the situation as a matter of urgency. He also affirmed that Facebook has strong policies of keeping users' information secure and private.
"We have strict policy controls and technical restrictions, so employees only access the data they need to do their jobs -- for example to fix bugs, manage customer support issues or respond to valid legal requests. Employees who abuse these controls will be fired," Stamos wrote in a statement to Tech Times.
F8 Conference
News of the firing broke around the same time of the beginning of the social media company's developers conference, F8. Thousands of tech aficionados gathered in San Jose to learn about Facebook's upcoming products. Some of the developments include FaceDate, a new dating app, Instagram video chat, and sharing Facebook and Instagram Stories on other applications.
Other Developments
Facebook is expected to lose a crucial member to the company. On April 30, WhatsApp co-founder and Facebook board member Jan Koum posted on his Facebook page that he is leaving the company. In his farewell message, Koum thanked his fellow WhatsApp co-founder, Brian Acton, and acknowledged his team. Koum mentioned that he would be focusing on his hobbies. Many Facebook insiders believe that Koum left the social media company after disagreements with upper management.
The social media company recently announced that parents would be able to control their children's Messenger Kids app. The app, which is geared towards children 13 years old and younger, comes with a sleep mode. Parents will determine the times during weekdays or weekends when the children will not be able to use the app. Kids will not be able to send or receive messages and to access the camera during those times.
The company also released a significant video advertising campaign in hopes of bringing back users to the social media app. Facebook acknowledged its recent scandals, including the Cambridge Analytica's data misuse. The video also stated that it would be going back to what made Facebook great in the first place. The advertisement will run on television shows, in movie theatres, and on the social media website itself throughout the summer.
