Facebook Come Under Fire After New App Registers Deceased Friends In Phonebook

Facebook has come under fire this week after a new app released for Android displayed deceased friends in user’s phone books. The ‘Hello’ app acts as a version of Caller ID, giving the user information about who is calling them from their profile… even if the number is not saved in their phone. The team behind the app, who also created the breakout Messenger app, said Hello only allowed people to access information for people they would be able to search on Facebook. According to The Huffington Post, the new caller ID app has already sparked concern and distress, after users found deceased friends’ names appearing on their phone. According to the site, the app can accidentally show dead loved ones are calling you if a phone number is associated to an account: “When I downloaded the “Hello” app to my smartphone, I swiped over to my call history and was startled to find that my friend’s younger brother Oliver was showing up instead of him – even though he passed away two years ago.” A spokesperson for the social network said the issue was due to how phone numbers are set up on Facebook. Although Oliver’s account may be relatively inactive nowadays, his family has since lost control of the account and are unable to remove the smartphone details associated with a number of Facebook profiles. Facebook released a statement informing users that Hello is in the testing stage. The social networking giant asked users to be aware that the app will pull in the primary number associated with an account - which does not always mean it will always be the telephone number displayed on a person’s profile.