How embarrassing! Facebook accidentally exposes six million contacts

Facebook has come under fire for accidentally revealing contact information of six million users.

The social media giant admitted that personal information like an email address or phone number was exposed because of a bug in its Download Your Information (DYI) tool. The tool gives users the option to get an archive of their timeline activity.

Speaking about the incident, Facebook said it’s “upset and embarrassed” by the mistake. However, in a blog post, it claimed that there is no evidence that the data has been “exploited maliciously”.

“For almost all of the email addresses or telephone numbers impacted, each individual email address or telephone number was only included in a download once or twice,” said the blog.

“This means, in almost all cases, an email address or telephone number was only exposed to one person.

“Additionally, no other types of personal or financial information were included and only people on Facebook – not developers or advertisers – have access to the DYI tool.”

The social media giant has notified regulators in the US, Canada and Europe, and is in the process of notifying affected users via email.