Facebook moved quickly in trying to figure out how users' e-mails could have been redirected. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social network also quickly apologized to users for any inconvenience.

"During our regular code push early Wednesday evening, a bug caused some misrouting to a small number of users for a short period of time," Facebook's Kathleen Loughlin said. "Our engineers diagnosed the problem moments after it began and worked diligently to get everything back in its rightful place."

Facebook wouldn't say how many of its 350 million users were affected. "We are still investigating and the information we are sharing right now is limited," Loughlin said.

Privacy Breach

Details about what kind of content was in the redirected e-mails was also not being shared. One user reported receiving more than 100 e-mails intended for other Facebook users.

Before Facebook's error, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research center, warned the Federal Trade Commission of ongoing privacy risks associated with social networking. Early this year, EPIC filed complaints against Facebook on some of its privacy practices and pointed to some risks associated with cloud computing.

Facebook users can post messages to their friends' walls that can be seen by others if the user receiving the message hasn't blocked them. Users' comments about photos and other posts are also often made available for others to see. Sending e-mails from one friend to another, however, was supposed to be the most private way of reaching out and communicating with friends.

E-mailed content is not meant to be seen by anyone other than the recipient. The only time more than one person can read an e-mail is when the e-mail is sent to a group.

Inherent Risks

Facebook said it takes several steps to provide privacy. Information is kept on a secured server behind a firewall, according to the company. More sensitive information, including credit-card numbers and passwords, is encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. The company also uses automated measures to enhance security such as analyzing accounts for anomalous behavior and removes inappropriate content or links to illegal content.

While Facebook might offer its users several layers of security, it doesn't guarantee 100 percent security, according to the company. Facebook states on its web site that users take their own risk of information being shared when they create an account.

"Although we allow you to set privacy options that limit access to your information, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable," Facebook's privacy page says.
 

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