Unknown to hundreds of millions of Facebook users, their passwords were sitting in plain text inside the company's data storage, leaving them vulnerable to potential employee misuse and cyberattack for years.
The company plans to notify hundreds of millions of Facebook Lite users, in areas with scant connectivity, as well as tens of millions of other Facebook users and tens of thousands of Instagram users.
Chester says news of the password storage insecurity could add fuel to a flame burning in Washington among lawmakers pushing for regulations on big tech companies.