Facebook is urging its users to be vigilant and report any misuse of private information on the social network. Apparently, they are also offering a reward for doing this. The move comes days after Cambridge Analytica scandal, which exposed Facebook’s privacy-related loopholes that let third-party apps use and exploit the data of its 80-million users.
The new program “will reward people with first-hand knowledge and proof of cases where a Facebook platform app collects and transfers people’s data to another party to be sold, stolen or used for scams or political influence,” product security chief Collin Greene said in a statement.
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The stand from Facebook is similar to other bug bounty programs, where people are rewarded for finding security flaws. While there is no maximum reward, it is reported that high impact bug reports could get as much as $40,000 in rewards.
“We’ll review all legitimate reports and respond as quickly as possible when we identify a credible threat to people’s information,” Greene said of the new program.
“If we confirm data abuse, we will shut down the offending app and take legal action against the company selling or buying the data, if necessary. We’ll pay the person who reported the issue, and we’ll also alert those we believe to be affected.”
Although Facebook calls it their effort to quickly uncover potential abuse of people’s information, it looks more like a challenge thrown to anti-Facebook groups who have been urging people to delete their FB account.
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