AG Balderas Warns New Mexicans of Security Threat after Massive Facebook Privacy Breach

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2018

Contact: David Carl (505) 288-2465

Albuquerque, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a consumer alert regarding the privacy of New Mexicans’ social media accounts.

“Yesterday, Facebook announced that due to a bug, as many as 14 million users had their privacy settings changed without their knowledge or consent,” said Balderas. “While no one should have their data disclosed to a company without their consent, the danger here goes deeper than that. Hackers and scammers use social media platforms to identify victims, and social media companies must be responsible for the protection of their users.”

Facebook’s latest privacy woes come on the heels of reports that it deliberately granted access to users’ information to cell phone makers and political research firms with ties to the Trump presidential campaign without those users’ knowledge or consent.

In March, Attorney General Balderas joined forty other state and territory attorneys general in sending a letter to Facebook demanding answers. Balderas urged New Mexicans to regularly update and strengthen their account passwords, review and update privacy options offered by various social media sites, and consider installing reputable antivirus and anti-spyware programs when appropriate.