| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to changing users' email addresses and intercepting/losing emails has happened again within the same organization, Facebook. Users reported that their contact information was silently updated to overwrite their work email addresses with their Facebook email addresses without their consent. This incident led to the loss of important work emails and communication disruptions [12605].
(b) The software failure incident of altering users' contacts without notification has also occurred at other organizations. For example, it was revealed that Apple's new iOS 6 Facebook integration automatically changed users' address books without any warning, causing confusion and inconvenience for users [12605]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is related to the design phase. Users reported that their contact information in their address books was being altered without their consent after Facebook forced users into using @facebook.com email addresses. This alteration of contact information was happening on various devices and platforms, including phones and computers, without users' awareness or consent [12605].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to the operation phase. Users mentioned that the Facebook app was populating their address books with emails and contact photos, leading to the migration of their contacts to this new system without their explicit permission. Additionally, the automatic altering of users' contacts without notification was built into Apple's new iOS 6 Facebook integration, causing changes to users' address books without warning [12605]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to the Facebook e-mail address change issue can be categorized as both within_system and outside_system.
Within_system:
- The incident involved Facebook forcing users into using @facebook.com e-mail addresses without their consent, leading to changes in their contact information and the interception and loss of e-mails [12605].
- Users reported that their contact information was silently updated to overwrite their work e-mail addresses with their Facebook e-mail addresses, causing confusion and lost communication [12605].
- The automatic altering of users' contacts without notification was built into Apple's new iOS 6 Facebook integration, indicating a system-level issue within the software [12605].
Outside_system:
- Users reported that the Facebook app was populating their address books with e-mails and contact photos, migrating all Facebook-using contacts over to a new system without their consent [12605].
- The incident involved changes in users' address books outside Facebook, where valid e-mail addresses were being replaced with @facebook.com addresses without people's awareness or consent on their phones and computers [12605].
- Facebook commented that the issue was due to user "confusion," suggesting that part of the problem may have stemmed from how users interacted with the system rather than solely from within the system itself [12605]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is primarily related to non-human actions. The incident involved Facebook's new e-mail address system automatically changing users' contact information without their consent. Users reported that their e-mail addresses in their address books were being altered to @Facebook addresses, leading to the interception and loss of e-mails. This automatic alteration of contacts was built into Apple's iOS 6 Facebook integration, further exacerbating the issue [12605].
(b) While the incident was primarily caused by non-human actions, there is also a mention of human actions contributing to the failure. Users rushed to replace the @Facebook e-mail addresses with their correct e-mail addresses once they became aware of the change. Additionally, there was a comment from a Redditor warning about the danger of users inadvertently replacing their contacts' correct e-mail addresses with @Facebook addresses due to synchronization with mobile devices or other software [12605]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily related to software issues rather than hardware. The incident involves Facebook's new e-mail address system causing disruptions in users' contact information and e-mail communication. Users reported that their e-mail addresses were being changed without consent, leading to lost e-mails and confusion. The issue was also linked to the Facebook app populating address books with incorrect e-mail addresses and contact photos. Additionally, the automatic altering of users' contacts without notification was built into Apple's iOS 6 Facebook integration, further exacerbating the problem [12605].
(b) The software failure incident is attributed to contributing factors originating in software. Users experienced issues with Facebook's new e-mail system, where their contact information was altered without their consent, leading to lost e-mails and confusion. The incident involved problems with the Facebook app syncing incorrect e-mail addresses and contact photos to users' devices. Furthermore, the automatic alteration of contacts without notification was a built-in feature of Apple's iOS 6 Facebook integration, highlighting software-related issues in the incident [12605]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles appears to be non-malicious. The incident involved Facebook automatically changing users' contact information in their address books without their consent or awareness. Users reported that valid email addresses were being replaced with @Facebook email addresses, causing confusion and loss of communication. This behavior was not initiated by users but was a result of Facebook's actions, which were not intended to harm the system but rather to integrate users' contact information with their Facebook accounts [12605].
(b) The software failure incident was not a result of malicious intent but rather a consequence of Facebook's decision to force users into using @Facebook email addresses without proper notification or consent. Users experienced disruptions in their email communication and address book entries due to this change, highlighting a failure in the system's design and implementation rather than a deliberate attempt to harm users [12605]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions can be inferred from the fact that Facebook forced its users into using @facebook.com email addresses without their consent, leading to a situation where contacts' email addresses were altered without permission and emails were being redirected and lost [12605]. This decision by Facebook to automatically change users' email addresses without proper notification or consent can be considered a poor decision that contributed to the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Facebook forced its users into using @facebook.com email addresses without their consent, leading to a series of issues. Users reported that their contact information was silently updated to overwrite their work email addresses with the Facebook email addresses, causing important work emails to be lost [12605]. This action by Facebook showcases a lack of professional competence in understanding the potential consequences of such a forced change on users' communication and contact information.
(b) The software failure incident also demonstrates accidental factors contributing to the failure. Users reported that the Facebook app on their phones automatically populated their address books with Facebook email addresses, leading to a situation where valid email addresses were changed to @Facebook addresses without their awareness or consent [12605]. This accidental alteration of users' contacts without notification, especially through Apple's iOS 6 Facebook integration, highlights how unintended consequences can arise from seemingly convenient features. |
| Duration |
temporary |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to Facebook changing users' email addresses and intercepting/losing emails can be categorized as a temporary failure. This is evident from the fact that the incident was caused by specific circumstances introduced by Facebook's decision to force users into using @facebook.com email addresses without their consent. Users reported that their contact information was altered without their awareness, leading to the interception and loss of emails [12605]. Additionally, Facebook later commented that the issue was due to user "confusion" and provided information on how messages were being redirected to different folders, indicating that the failure was not permanent but rather a result of specific actions taken by Facebook [12605]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a crash. Users reported that their e-mail addresses were being altered without their consent, leading to the loss of e-mails. For example, one user mentioned that their contact info was silently updated, causing work e-mails to be sent to the wrong address, and the e-mails were nowhere to be found [12605].
(b) omission: The incident also involves omission as part of the software failure behavior. Users noted that valid e-mail addresses in their contacts were being changed to @Facebook addresses without their awareness or consent. This omission led to the loss of important e-mails and communication disruptions [12605].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the articles.
(d) value: The software failure incident does not directly relate to a value-related failure where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is the interception and redirection of users' e-mail communication. Users reported that their e-mails were being redirected elsewhere, lost, and intercepted by the system, causing potential grave consequences and communication disruptions [12605]. |