NEW YORK: Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers.
The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is.
The availability of the data set was first reported by Business Insider. According to that publication, it has information from 106 countries including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and email addresses.
Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years. In 2018, the social media giant disabled a feature that allowed users to search for one another via phone number following revelations that the political firm Cambridge Analytica had accessed information on up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent.
In December 2019, a Ukrainian security researcher reported finding a database with the names, phone numbers and unique user IDs of more than 267 million Facebook users — nearly all US-based — on the open Internet. It is unclear if the current data dump is related to this database.
“This is old data that was previously reported on in 2019,” the Menlo Park, California-based company said in a statement. “We found and fixed this issue in August 2019.”
Facebook data on more than 500 million accounts found online
https://arab.news/v4uq6
Facebook data on more than 500 million accounts found online
- Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years
TikTok names 2025 MENA Awards nominees ahead of Dubai ceremony
- Awards celebrate 66 creators across 11 categories, spanning food, sport, education, entertainment, fashion, and beauty
- Ceremony will take place during the 1 Billion Followers Summit on Jan. 8
LONDON: TikTok has announced the nominees for its 2025 MENA Awards, an annual showcase of the creators, trends and cultural moments that shaped the region’s online conversation over the past year.
For the first time, the awards will be held in Dubai during the 1 Billion Followers Summit in January, which is one of the world’s largest gatherings of digital creators.
“We’re proud to celebrate the return of the TikTok Awards in MENA, a moment dedicated to spotlighting the remarkable creativity emerging from our region and the creators who continue to inspire creativity and bring joy to millions every day,” Kinda Ibrahim, regional general manager of operations, TikTok Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia, said.
This year’s TikTok Awards MENA will highlight 66 creators across 11 categories, spanning food, sport, education, entertainment, fashion, and beauty, alongside four cross-cutting prizes: Creator of the Year, Visionary Content Award, Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Changemaker of the Year.
TikTok said the shortlisted accounts reflect how MENA creators drove global conversations in 2025, from viral sounds and challenges to issue-based campaigns and long-form storytelling that traveled beyond the region’s borders.
The platform said the awards are an opportunity to recognize creators whose work has helped define the platform’s mix of humor, lifestyle, music, and social commentary in Arabic and other languages.
The ceremony will also include performances by regional artists whose tracks have underpinned major TikTok trends this year, with the full lineup due to be confirmed later in December.
A full list of nominees is available on TikTok MENA channel. Public voting for the awards is now open and runs until Dec. 23, with winners set to be announced at the summit on Jan. 8.
