Facebook has admitted that the company gave dozens of tech companies and app developers special access to its users' data after publicly saying it had restricted outside companies to access such data back in 2015. During the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed March this year, Facebook stated that it already cut off third-party access to its users' data and their friends in May 2015 only.
However, in a 747-page long document [PDF] delivered to Congress late Friday, the social networking giant admitted that it continued sharing data with 61 hardware and software makers, as well as app developers after 2015 as well.
The disclosure comes in response to hundreds of questions posed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg by members of Congress in April about its company's practices with data of its billions of users.
The Washington Post reported that the company submitted the documents, representing Facebook's most granular explanation of exemption, within hours of a Friday night deadline.
Adding to the woes of privacy advocates and users, Facebook has admitted that it provided companies with special access to user data even after it had restricted it in 2015. The company continued to share the data with 61 technology companies including AOL, United Parcel Service, and dating app Hinge, Cnet reported.
The documents also acknowledged that Facebook partnered with 52 domestic and international companies, including U.S. tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Spotify, Amazon, Sony, Acer, China-based Huawei and Alibaba, and device-makers Samsung and BlackBerry.
Whereas, partnerships with three companies will continue, which includes Apple, Amazon, and Tobii, an accessibility app that enables people with ALS to access Facebook, with whom the company has agreements that extend beyond October 2018.
The document comes months after it revealed that personal data of 87 million Facebook users were harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy firm, who reportedly helped Donald Trump win the US presidency in 2016.
The revelation led to public outcry for lawmakers to hold the social network accountable for its data-management practices, raising questions about whether Facebook can be trusted to protect the personal data of its 2 billion users.
Facebook's admission to the extensions, as Post noted, is "the fullest to date regarding reports that Facebook [had continued sharing] user data with some companies for years."
Also Read: After Hacking on SoKor’s CoinRail Effects | Bitcoin, Other Virtual Coins Slump
Hello, Viewers We offer timely analysis and in-person experiences that form the basis of our professional articles. Our editorial section is a reflection of the emerging technology trends. Our tagline “Fresh News of Technology and More” tries to address the same diversity. 
No comments:
Post a Comment