Facebook has once again provoked controversy after the discovery it is possible to search for photos of female friends on its social network, but not male ones.
The feature was spotted by Belgian security researcher Inti De Ceukelaire, whose findings led to further revelations that Facebook prompts its users to search for photos of female friends in bikinis.
比利時(shí)安全研究員Inti De Ceukelaire發(fā)現(xiàn)這一現(xiàn)象,另外,臉書(shū)會(huì)讓用戶(hù)搜索到其女性好友穿比基尼的照片,又進(jìn)一步證實(shí)了他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)。
“Facebook has modified their creepy hidden search feature this weekend,” he tweeted earlier this week. “You can no longer retrieve hidden photos from your male friends. Women can/may still be stalked.”
Another user then noted how Facebook's search bar automatically suggested photos of female friends in bikinis, which was confirmed in tests by The Independent.
“These are abusive search suggestions and should be addressed,” said Jennifer Grygiel, an assistant progessor of communications at Syracuse University.
Facebook originally stated in a comment to media outlets that it was the result of “a bug” with its search function, however the social network issued a further clarification to explain it is not a glitch but simply how the search feature works.
A spokesperson for Facebook said the tech giant is working to fix the issue but at the time of writing the controversial search suggestions were still appearing.