Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms and is loved by billions of users worldwide.
However, it has recently been caught up in a controversy regarding the automatic sending of friend requests.
This article aims to provide an in-depth understanding of Facebook’s Automatic Friend Request issue.
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Why Is Facebook Sending Friend Request Automatically?
On May 12, 2023, many Facebook users were frustrated with the platform sending automatic friend requests.
To make matters worse, friend requests were being sent to people some were trying to avoid.
The problem emerged around the same time Meta, the parent Company of Facebook, laid off many employees.
Meta, the parent Company of Facebook, has laid off more than 10,000 employees.
In fact, news is resurfacing that Meta is still planning to lay off more than 6000 employees next week.
Facebook had previously launched a feature that sent friend requests automatically. However, this case was unintentional and caused due to a bug.
Facebook’s Bug And Its Impact
Due to the bug, people who were simply viewing other persons’ profiles caused the application to send the friend request automatically.
It frustrated users and raised serious concerns about user privacy and autonomy.
Many users expressed their distress and embarrassment due to unwanted friend requests.
In fact, some individuals even opted to deactivate their accounts due to this bug.
Meta’s Response And User’s Reactions
In response to the criticism, Meta acknowledged the issue and apologized to the users.
They explained that the issue was caused due to a bug and that they had taken measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Although the exact cause of the bug was not disclosed, Meta’s quick response showed their commitment to user’s concerns.
Furthermore, many people took to various platforms like Reddit and Twitter to share their experiences and frustrations.
People reported that they were manually canceling the friend requests that were being sent automatically.
However, a problem arose when some users reported that canceling the requests through the Facebook app was ineffective as the requests were being sent again.
Facebook’s History Of Strange Bugs
Although Facebook has responded to many user concerns over the years, it has had quite a history of strange bugs.
- In August 2022, Facebook users found their feeds swamped with unique content with cryptic language.
- In December 2018, Messenger reported a bug where old chat conversations had resurfaced unexpectedly.
- In October 2022, Facebook discovered a bug that affected the News Feed’s integrity, leading to misinformation being spread.
- In May 2023, users reported a bug with Facebook sending automatic friend requests to users.
The Bottom Line
Facebook has a known history of strange and amusing bugs. The automatic friend request bug has frustrated many Facebook users so much that users have even chosen to leave the platform.
However, Facebook quickly addressed the issue and apologized publicly o the affected users.
Even though Facebook didn’t disclose the exact reason for the bug, it has been dealt with.
