update
I did find a reference to this type of behavior…from 2010.
What I suspect happened is some very old security code accidentally got compiled into the Facebook server app, in relation to the company’s new security feature, and I just happened along when it was exposed.
Either that, or I stumbled into a time vortex.
earlier
I treated myself to a new smartphone today. Among the apps I loaded was Facebook. I had copied my password from Dashlane and was ready to go, when I ran into something new:
Facebook’s new security system.
To prove I am who I am, Facebook displayed a set of images, each with a set of names, and asked me to pick the person who matched the image. OK, this ought to be good.
The first was an obviously 30+ year old photo of a chubby baby. So who is it?
I’d have a hard time recognizing one of my own baby pictures, much less the folks on Facebook. Especially considering many people, such as myself, don’t even use photos of themselves as their Facebook profile pictures. So, next image, please.
The next showed a cartoon strip, with a square around one of the panels. The security question then asked who the image was. I can tell you that it isn’t Barbara Schmitz or Nanny Baker.
The third showed an image I did recognize: Mr. Presidential Candidate Rand Paul. Which means it wasn’t Kevin Stamps or John Doppler.
The thing that saved me was when another photo of a woman looked like Sarah Barnett. Thankfully, Sarah also had a conference pass around her neck with “Sarah Barnett” printed on it. But by that time, I’d taken too long or missed too many images, or some such thing, so I had to start over.
Facebook…you’ve taken “being completely unaware of how people use your web site” to a level never before heard of, or seen. And then you exceeded it by using your complete lack of understanding to form the platform for your new security system.