Send a Facebook message to anyone's inbox, for free

http://lukasklein.com/blog/free-facebook-message-inbox/

by lukashed • 14 years ago

158 31 14 years ago

lukasklein.com

JonasKingsley3• 14 years ago

genius! Good exploit:)

jmix• 14 years ago

I wonder how much time the OP provided to FB to respond.

JonasKingsley3• 14 years ago

What do you mean?

yureka• 14 years ago

"Since Facebook hasn't responded yet to my report I've decided to make it public."

jmix is wondering how long OP waited for a response from Facebook before posting this.

chmars2• 14 years ago

Why should you provide any time to Facebook to respond with regard to a feature that works as intended (but can – like most features – be used for other purposes)?

The report/block function is a classic in this regard: In the best case, it helps Facebook to identify unwanted content. In many other cases, however, enough reports simply lead to the automatic disappearance of maybe controversial but otherwise completely acceptable content. In general, the freedom of speech should of course prevail, i.e., reporting content as well as blocking content should the exception and not the norm.

michaelkscott• 14 years ago

Well, for one thing, it feels a lot better to share an 'exploit' publicly than to tell the developers privately.

Especially when it's something like FB. And it sure can boost one's self esteem even by teeny-tiny bit.

That said, I doubt OP waited even 3 minutes before deciding FB is not responding early enough not to post ;)

nwh2• 14 years ago

It took two months for a response for me from their security team, and in the end their team dismissed my bug as a discrepancy in privacy settings (it isn't). For me at least, it's not really worthwhile trying to make an information leak a publicly known fact — nobody really cares.

matthuggins• 14 years ago

What is the bug you submitted that they dismissed?

X-Istence• 14 years ago

I've ran into this too... their security team came back with "That's by design".

Not too long afterwards a friend of mine automated it, stuck it up on Google code and it might be fixed now ...

benjlang• 14 years ago

Have you sent this post to Mark Zuckerberg using this tactic?

cihad• 14 years ago

does not work anymore

chmars2• 14 years ago

For everyone or only for Mr. Zuckerberg?

In my case, I can still use the function for content posted by my friends …

(Don't worry, I didn't report them, I only went as far as the message dialogue and immediately when back to click 'undo'.)

martin-adams• 14 years ago

I'm sure this is probably a quick way to get your account shut down as sending reports that aren't valid concerns would probably be frowned upon.

Good find though.

dasil003• 14 years ago

Having your Facebook account locked is the gift that keeps on giving.

It gives you a legitimate excuse not to use Facebook that all your friends must accept unquestioningly, and if the reason is because you sent the Zuck messages he didn't want to receive then you get an awful lot of hipster cred as well.

thefreeman• 14 years ago

Actually, you don't have to check the final "Submit a report" box to send the message, so I don't think you are actually even submitting one.

DennisP• 14 years ago

It's kinda sad that Facebook gives people a way to rat people out for using fake names. I hope they don't see much usage.

tsiki• 14 years ago

It's useful for exposing profiles where someone is pretending to be someone else.

Argorak• 14 years ago

Theres a seperate action for that, see the screenshot.

znowi• 14 years ago

I think it's not kinda sad, but outright offensive. I understand the commercial value of a fully identifiable and tracked person online, but there has to be a line to draw.

Every transparency feature is opt-in by default. Privacy is slowly becoming a dirty word for people who have something to hide. And those who fight for it are marginalized and made look as villains.

It is really bizarre to witness. At some point this rush for user identities reminds me of the Wall Street and their unregulated lust for profit despite the consequence.

justplay• 14 years ago

i just found i have "other" folder in my fb

peterkelly• 14 years ago

I heard that apparently there's a thing called "email" where you can send messages to anyone for free.

alttab2• 14 years ago

Yeah but thats not Facebook, you see.

loceng• 14 years ago

They didn't automatically update your email listed as alttab@facebook.com?

bjoe_lewis• 14 years ago

and you never get a random beautiful girl's email address straight away, peter.

jey• 14 years ago

Facebook is working on making that useless too by changing everyone's profiles to only list their @facebook.com address and redirecting all email from non-"friend"s to the bit bucket labeled "other" in Facebook's message center.

Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/facebook-changes-e-...

whichdan• 14 years ago

It's really frustrating - it's nearly impossible to connect with people you aren't already friends with, since people rarely check the "other" folder.

alttab2• 14 years ago

Sounds like the job of a junior-level developer at Facebook, without the product management oversight of the feature. Whoopsie.

randartie• 14 years ago

Or simply a feature that existed prior to the other folder.

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