LONDON: A new feature allowing Facebook users to edit their status updates may result in “stitch-ups.”

Previously, an update would have to be deleted and reposted with any changes, losing any comments or “likes.” But the new capability, introduced to help users correct spelling and grammatical errors, means posts can be modified, and their content changed, according to a BBC report.

Facebook users who liked or interacted with the original post are not notified of any changes made.

A spokesman for Facebook was unable to provide comment.

The capability to edit posts is already available on rival social networks, and Facebook has allowed its users to edit photo updates and their comments on other people’s updates for some months.

However the lack of notifications means that a user who may have liked an innocuous post, such as “I love my cat,” could find his or her name beside a post that says something entirely different, or even offensive.

“The latest update from Facebook to allow editing of posts after they have been published raises some real concerns amongst individuals I know and business clients of mine,” Kieran Hannon, director of social media consultancy eSocialMedia, told the BBC.

“A like or a comment made on a previously static piece of content is now open to misinterpretation — a fact that many less informed users are currently unaware of. “The opportunity to ‘stitch up’ friends or foes on Facebook has increased dramatically.”