Jul 23, 2019 12:30:00

When there is a structural flaw in the Facebook message app and a child chats with an unauthorized user

The children's message app '

Messenger Kids ' provided by Facebook can exchange messages, send and receive photos, etc. like Facebook Messenger, but it can be a parental rental that allows you to chat only with the parent's authorized user. It is a message application with control. However, The Verge reported that there was a flaw that allowed children to chat with 'users not allowed by their parents' using the Messenger Kids app.

Facebook design flaw let thousands of kids join chats with unauthorized users-The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/22/20706250/facebook-messenger-kids-bug-chat-app-unauthorized-adults

The Messenger Kids app is built on the very simple principle that children can not talk to users who their parents do not allow. Users were able to register only by name and there was no in-app advertisement, so data collection for advertising purposes was not performed, and parents were supposed to control the range in which children can talk.

However, it became clear that the 'group chat function' of Messenger Kids was actually able to chat with users who were not permitted by their parents. People who have launched Group Chat can invite users who are approved by their parents to chat. However, the user approved by the launcher may not be approved by other users invited to chat.

In other words, anyone from the person who launched the group chat could join, so even if the user was not approved by their parents, they could talk in the group chat.

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In July 2019, Facebook silently deleted a group chat that had a mixture of unauthorized users and notified the user's parents. In a message that Facebook sent to her parent, 'We found a technical flaw in a group chat made by a child friend who could chat with a user who has not been approved by the child. Group chat has already been turned off And we will try to prevent this from happening in the future. ”

It is unclear how long a structural bug has been present since December 2017, when the app was released, but according to Facebook, thousands of children join a mixed group chat of fraudulent users It seemed to have been.

Messenger Kids is an app for children under 13 years of age, and privacy flaws can be legal issues as it is subject to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) . Some privacy groups have already been accused of 'Messger Kids collecting user data and violating COPPA', and it has been pointed out that there may be further intensification in the future.

by Gratisography