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This morning I’ve received at least 10 emails from people about misleading notifications that they received from friends suggesting that their friends “faced some errors” while viewing a user’s profile. The notifications are highly misleading and as expected highly viral. Within hours, hundreds if not thousands of users had registered for the “Error Check System” application to see what was wrong with their profile.
Before the application had a chance to get completely out of control, Facebook shut it down. (See update) Some users were suggesting that this application was “spyware” but there is nothing to suggest this is the case. It was simply an aggressive developer that was trying to misuse the Facebook platform for their own gain. Clicking “Add Application” on Facebook doesn’t actually install or download anything on your personal computer although a developer could theoretically prompt you to download something.
One interesting lesson from this malevolent application is that notifications are still extremely effective at getting a user’s attention. Just last night I spoke with my mom who asked me about a notification from one of the applications I was using. The interesting thing is that I don’t need to approve a notification being sent to my friends on behalf of me.
Many developers are using this feature to drive a large number of new installations. Is it a bad practice? Definitely not, I’d be doing the same if I was a developer. The only problem is that there is no efficient way for monitoring what notifications are being sent by applications. Fortunately this time around Facebook caught the application early on and it was effectively shut down.
Update
I just visited Facebook and instantly had three notifications from the application which still appears to be active. I’ve tested out the offending application and it appears that this application is one that is viral for the sake of being viral. It posts a phony image which says that you have an error in the process “PR:147″ and you must invite your friends. It then prompts you to invite your friends in order to check their profile.
None of the stated information is accurate and it’s just a phony application to attract users and temporarily attract thousands if not millions of users and hope that some of them click on the ads. It’s an interesting strategy but there’s no doubt Facebook will shut this down in a short amount of time. Thankfully this application doesn’t harm your computer but it will annoy the hell out of your friends with the numerous notifications it sends!
Error Check System Notifications Screenshot
Error Check System Click Thru Screenshot
Error Check System Screenshot
Error Check System Screenshot 2
Error Check System Yahoo Answers Posting
Notifications aren’t bad per se. Facebook has feedback systems in place to limit the number you can send if too many are marked as spam, for example.
Of course, this app works around that by lying to users.
I forget who it was, but the CEO of one of the many ad companies out there (something like DoubleClick) said that by far the the best way to get people to click on an ad is to make it look like a it was part of the OS. That’s why you see all those “You have an error! Click “OK” to fix it.”-type ads.
Facebook is no different. In fact, they banned ads that use the FB colors or use deceptive language. Notifications are just one more outlet and it looks like they took the appropriate, swift action in this case.
Adding an application allows it to access parts of your profile right? so making this app could just be a way to access the profiles of lots of people. In that sense, it is spyware.
Wow, 1203 unread messages? LOL
Thanks for the link! Have updated the post to include removal instructions as well. Although it may not be spyware, it is extremly annoying - and I’m quite sure many users would not like a rogue developer to spam their friends and have their personal details as well. Looking forward to your updates. I wonder why Facebook has not banned it yet.
Thanks for the post about that really annoying notice/app. I got it all morning long. I even installed the app, then promptly uninstalled it.
TO STOP THE NOTIFICATIONS
Click on Inbox then click on Notifications.
On the right side under “Other applications” un tick the application that the messages are coming from. Up the top it will say
Notifications from ______ are now hidden.
Mark ______ notifications as Spam
Click on the mark notifications as Spam.
No more notifications :o)
It appears to be down again - trying to visit the application page takes me to my home page.
And Marc is right, this program could still be pretty malicious if it’s storing profile information. A TOS violation to be sure, but once the damage is done, it’s done. Malicious applications have long been theorized; this may be the first one to spread very far in practice. It’s certainly a clever idea for one.
Jesse Farmer - “I forget who it was, but the CEO of one of the many ad companies out there (something like DoubleClick) said that by far the the best way to get people to click on an ad is to make it look like a it was part of the OS. That’s why you see all those “You have an error! Click “OK” to fix it.”-type ads.”
These crack me up, whenever I see a Win XP/Vista lookalike “error message” window pop up on my Mac I chuckle and think, “That the best you can do?”
yes but what about when you don’t have any messages al all and that happens, I deleted every mail and still…what to do?!?!
Karsoe, These error messages are annoying for pc but it happens rarely, if you maintain your pc.
As a side note, don’t feel so secure with your Mac…just last week, I read that more and more adware/spyware is
coming for Macs. Read up on it, so you can download or purchase software to block it.
A search for the issue and many of the websites you visit will install malware on your computer, luckily my AV caught them in the act…
This might actually be viral for a bad reason. Do a google search for “facebook error check system”. The top links will lead you to one of those fake virus scan pages that will eventually try to download an install.exe file.
What do you suppose that does?
My gut feeling is that the developer is connected with these sites.
Some people really do not seem to have a proper life and develop these annoying apps… thanks for this explaining article, will share it amongst my friends.
Is Linux vunerable to these types of infections?
It should also be noted that the first two Google results when you search for “Facebook Error Check System” appear to be redirects, which send you to another site which in turn offers to scan your computer because malicious hardware has been detected. Clearly, they are viruses themselves.
Perhaps this is larger than it seems?
You made this statement in your article:
“The only problem is that there is no efficient way for monitoring what notifications are being sent by applications.”
You can always go into your notifications and see what ones were sent on your behalf. Facebook added this long feature long ago because apps were spamming every friend you had when you did something with the app. They added the option review your sent notifications so you could see what apps did on your behalf.
Efficient? I suppose you are right, but it is part of the checks and balances. I haven’t seen too many apps doing this anymore.
Facebook appears to keep deleting the app (unless the developer is doing it himself) but it keeps coming back under a slightly different url meaning that there appears to be no end in sight for it.
Also since it seems to somehow authorize itself when you click the link, it gains access to your personal information (like every other app can) meaning that it could technically be considered spyware as might well be collecting and storing your data in a database for some malicious purpose later on.
I just got one of these messages and promptly advised the person who *sent me* the notice to uninstall the app, and then submited a report about it to Facebook. Has Facebook said anything about it?
If you google “Facebook Error Check System”, the first 4 hits all try to install malware on your system. I wonder if that’s the whole idea of the program on Facebook; to get people to Google it and get infected by malware.
@Jayelee: it’s not a system infection, it’s just a facebook app spreading. So your OS is irrelevant.
I hadnt read anything about this app before, so when i started getting these on friday i clicked on it and added the application.
I have since then deleted it from my account but now my facebook chat is down and i keep getting logged out every time i click on something..which is very annoying!
I see nothing to suggest this application was NOT spyware. It might well gather data not only of people who add the application, but also their friends…
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7376738.stm
Moral of the story is to be very careful about what information you put on facebook, or elsewhere. I haven’t read all comments; apologies for any redundant information.
This was still active yesterday. I received a few notifications about it and hadn’t heard about it before. I went to the initial page from one notification and went no further. Even though I did not activate the app, my contacts still received notifications claiming to be from me!!
When I went to my list of applications, it was there! I removed it, but what damage can it already have done? How can it have been added when I did not authorise it!
I am a regular FB user. Offlate I am able to log in to it and also see the mails sent on my email but am not able to open any other application on Facebook apart from logging in. I cannot respond to the comments on Facebook, update profile, etc. what could be the problem?
error chek system facebook
I every Have you praded to day? if Not join me norma nichols There is a Merical in the makeing
i cant get into my applications unless i shut my computer completely down, then i can can get to the sometimes but never to Roller coaster Kingdom. please help i am addicted to these apps and cant do anything with them
please tell me why i cant get into my apps on facebook unless i shut my comp all the way don and then yet i still cant always get to them i cant hardly ever get to Roller Coaster Kingdom and i am addicted to these apps please help
I can not not log in to facebook since hours ago, can not open the page. my friend who leaves with me me has the same problem. all other pages on intenet are working fine. we’re in Manchester…
i cant see the photoes sometime.. it is coming network error… but internet are working properly
i cant see the photoes of friends walls..downloading part is not working fully… but internet are working properly
faCE BOOK is not displaying anything accept that first blue bar !! whats the solution for this problem! please help!!!
i think that this error problem can never be solved.so don’t try to remove error, its just waste of time.
THIS is why Facebook is making apps not be able to give notifications or contact you anymore in the future. I won’t get ‘important’ Mafia Wars updates due to a stupid application that I never granted access to. (and by ‘important’, I mean I could go without them)
i m facing an error while opening my facebook account.how can i fix this problem.