The Dark Side of Account Recovery

Having social media accounts hacked is stressful. Usually, companies have formal channels for users to regain access. But for Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram, some users say the social media giant isn’t responding.

Now, a new kind of broker has sprung up, helping people locked out of their accounts connect with a Meta employee or contractor who can expedite their request … for the right price. In 2022, Meta fired or disciplined employees or contractors who had allegedly abused the internal account recovery system for bribes. Kathryn Blaze Baum, an investigative reporter at The Globe and Mail, and Alexandra Posadzki, The Globe’s cybercrimes reporter, found that three years later, this is still happening.

Today, Kathryn is on the show to talk about how this back-door process works, how Meta is cracking down on it, and where this leaves users who have had their accounts compromised.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com