Facebook's attempt to get users to reset their e-mail preferences has blown the lid off an an embarrassing loss of user data inside the social network.

When the site recently e-mailed members asking them to reset their notification preferences, bloggers picked up the scent of a possible data loss at Facebook.

"When it arrived in my mailbox, it looked Phishy," wrote Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at IT security and control company Sophos, in a blog post yesterday.

The e-mail from Facebook to him read: "Unfortunately, the settings that control which email notifications get sent to you were lost. We're sorry for the inconvenience." The note included a link to use to reset members' notification settings.

These preferences tell Facebook what topics members want to be notified of by e-mail and what they don't.
InternetNews Realtime IT News - Facebook Gets a Spanking Over Data Loss