Facebook Groups Hijacking by “Control Your Info” Organization

“Control Your Info” organization makes itself administrator of groups that have been abandoned and warns the site’s members.

An organization that calls itself “Control Your Info” reportedly took control of hundreds of Facebook groups by making themselves the administrator, according to PCWorld.com and CNet.com. Each group that they became administrators of had previously been abandoned by the administrator and the organization managed to edit hundreds of group images and descriptions upon gaining access.

PCWorld.com is reporting that “Control Your Info” specifically targeted groups with a business, entertainment or sports theme. The organization went on to insert a warning message to members of the groups that they became administrators of that reads, "This means we control a certain part of the information about you in Facebook. If we wanted, we could make you appear in a bad way which could damage you severely."

Facebook representatives tried to calm the nerves of those who were concerned about the widespread group hijacking by releasing a statement that reads, "There has been no hijacking and there is no confidential information at risk. The groups in question have been abandoned, which means any member can make themselves an administrator. Group administrators have no access to private user information and members can leave a group at any time.”

Although the message from “Control Your Info” worried many Facebook users who were affected by their actions, representatives from the organization are insisting that they meant no harm or long-term inconvenience and that their ultimate goal is to shed light on the vulnerabilities of social media that have the potential to affect the safety of user privacy.