Meta Platforms reportedly fired or disciplined over two dozen employees and contractors who allegedly compromised and took control of user accounts, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Bribery was involved in some cases, the Journal reported, citing sources and documents.
The report said users who were locked out of their Facebook accounts often weren’t able to regain access through traditional means, like reaching out to Facebook directly. So, some users resorted to seeking outside sources who have contacts within Meta that were willing to unlock accounts for them.
In some cases, according to documents viewed by the Journal, workers accepted thousands of dollars in bribes from hackers to compromise or access user accounts. The terminations or discipline came about as a result of an internal investigation, according to the Journal.
According to the report, some of the fired employees were employed as Allied Universal contractors providing security for Meta facilities who were given access to internal employee tools to assist company employees.
The tools, the Journal reported, were referred to as “Oops,” a shorthand for Online Operations, and were originally intended for internal and special case use. The system allowed employees to restore individual access to their rightful account, according to the report.
Meta and Allied Universal did not immediately respond to requests for comment.