Ever since the Cambridge Analytica scandal first brokein March , Facebook has been scramble to vary its policy andreassurethe public that it no longer recklessly shares data with third party . But on Sunday we see that it has quiet been founder gimmick maker memory access to users data this whole time . It debate this was different for several reason and equipment makers could only use the data to provide “ the Facebook experience . ”
The New York Timesreportsthat Facebook has maintained data - sharing agreements with “ at least 60 twist makers ” for the last 10 years . Each collaborator was given entree to a individual API that appropriate at least some partners to get at more than 50 type of information about an individual user . It also extended that information to a users ’ friends — and friends of friends — with the kind of wide profits that famously resultedin a massive leakof millions of user ’ information to Cambridge Analytica , a house form for the 2016 presidential campaign to elect Donald Trump .
Throughout its all - hired hand - on - deck PR campaign over the last few month , Facebook has shuffled its data policy and reassured lawmakers that handing out user data to anyone who ask is no longer part of its standard operation . It maintained that its policies for share data point with third - party app developers have changed following a consent decree with the FTC in 2011 over a former privacy scandal .
Since it was reveal that millions of users ’ information was gathered by a quiz app and subsequently sold to Cambridge Analytica , it ’s been a tarry question if Facebook may have violated its consent edict by not advise users of the falling out . If the FTC determined that the societal media connection was in violation of the concord , it could face “ one million million of dollar bill ” in fines . But Facebook is claiming that it ’s amply in conformity with the consent decree due to its interpretation of one clause in the concord .
The Times found that Facebook has reach machine makers like Apple , Amazon , BlackBerry , Microsoft , and Samsung extensive access to user data through partnerships that appear uncannily similar to its past third - party insurance . These partnership are reportedly ongoing . Facebook confirmed much of the Times report but contain issue with some interpretation and asserted that it has been “ winding down ” the data - communion computer program since * ahem*April .
To exemplify how the program run , the Times used a Blackberry gimmick from 2013 to access one of its reporter ’s Facebook accounts . From the report :
straightaway after the newsman tie in the gadget to his Facebook explanation , it request some of his profile data , including drug user ID , name , movie , “ about ” information , positioning , e-mail and cellphone act . The gadget then retrieved the reporter ’s private subject matter and the responses to them , along with the name and exploiter ID of each person with whom he was commune .
The information flowed to a BlackBerry app recognise as the Hub , which was design to let BlackBerry users view all of their content and societal media accounts in one seat .
The Hub also requested — and received — data that Facebook ’s insurance appear to proscribe . Since 2015 , Facebook has said that apps can request only the figure of friends using the same app . But the BlackBerry app had access to all of the reporter ’s Facebook supporter and , for most of them , returned information such as exploiter ID , birthday , work and training history and whether they were currently online .
The reporter used in the trial run only had 550 friends , but when Facebook ’s system was done combing through all of the information that its system leave to be shared , “ identifying information for well-nigh 295,000 Facebook users ” was beam to the Blackberry Hub , the Times report .
Facebook hasclarifiedthat its partners receive drug user information of the multitude you choose to share subject with . A spokesperson explained to Gizmodo :
unknown official told the Times that agreements with equipment maker include strict ban on datum usage that go beyond the linguistic rule applied to app developer . Developers have been given various levels of freedom to expend personal information to build fresh intersection , but twist makers have only been allowed to use data as necessary to supply “ the Facebook experience . ”
In a follow - up stake on itsnewsroom web log , Facebook explained that these agreements first began as a way to more quickly integrate Facebook ’s features across the wide kitchen stove of devices on the market place . It claimed,“In the early day of mobile , the requirement for Facebook outpaced our power to progress version of the intersection that work on every phone or operating organization . ” But that ’s no longer an issue because , “ now that iOS and Android are so popular , few hoi polloi rely on these genus Apis to create bespoke Facebook experiences . ”
Another way to rede that is that Facebook did n’t have the resources to handle its rapid and unprecedented expanding upon . for get itself to 2 billion substance abuser and grain its system intoevery cornerof the net , it played loose with information so that other multitude could build up out the platform . Today , itarguesthat handling the abuse of its weapons platform around the creation is difficult because so many unlike factors like language , ethnic differences , and insufficiently advanced AI present limitation . CEO Mark Zuckerberg has recently been vocal about the fact that Facebook does n’t even need to make hard decisions about the establishment of its platform and float the thought of creating some third - political party “ Supreme Court . ”
When contacted by Gizmodo , a Facebook voice emphasize that the individual API approach has been common in the technical school industriousness , especially in the early days of the mobile era — they cited YouTube as an object lesson of an app that was initially include on iPhones but was primitively developed by Apple . They acknowledge that the “ winding down ” was prompted by the “ concentrated facial expression ” Facebook has taken with its data policies and allege that engineering has changed to the point that this variety of data sharing is n’t necessary . The representative said that it ’s ended its partnership with 22 parties but give way no timeline on the rest . When asked for a list of all the partners , the spokesperson said they have n’t decide to share that entropy at this time .
The Times attempted to contact several major twist manufacturer about the partnerships . Apple confirmed it was part of the programme , but it has n’t had accession to Facebook user data since September , the company enunciate . A Blackberry representative did not say that the troupe no longer participates in the program but underline it “ did not compile or mine the Facebook data of our customers . ” Microsoft claimed all datum is put in locally on the user ’s gadget . Amazon and Samsung declined to comment . With all of those big manufacturers accounted for , there ’s still the question of who else is part of this program . Facebook has onlysaid , “ around 60 companies ” have used the individual API and that some of its partners did store user data on their own host . I certainly ca n’t think of 60 gadget manufacturers I ’d entrust with my data . And take the fact that Cambridge Analytica andAleksandr Kogan — the professor who develop the quiz app that sucked up tens of millions of citizenry ’s data point — allegedly violated Facebook ’s terms of service and received no penalization , it ’s not on the button reassuring to get a line that these agreements had “ exacting ” road map .
We ’ve asked Facebook whether it audit the machine makers it partners with for compliance with its guidelines , and a spokesperson said that has n’t occur because they ’ve never had any “ issue ” with the computer programme . Facebook does claim it ’s execute “ smirch checks ” with dummy report to ensure that the proper data was being rive . But the head of whether all substance abuser information was treated right after it was transplant to a partner ’s waiter remain unanswered .
As for its 2011 agreement with the FTC , Facebook hasmaintainedthat the Cambridge Analytica situation did not plant a violation of the section that necessitate users be notified and must give their permission before any data about them is apportion . Its reasoning is that users yield their license implicitly through their privacy context . This time , it claims the partnership with equipment Jehovah does n’t violate the consent decree because it allows Facebook to apportion data with “ avail supplier ” without find further permissions . While “ service provider ” is intended to name to services like cloud storage and mention add-in supplier , Facebook is taking a broader version .
Jessica Rich , a former FTC functionary , severalize the Times , “ Under Facebook ’s interpretation , the exception swallows the rule . ” She articulate that this reading would give Facebook the power to “ argue that any sharing of data with third parties is part of the Facebook experience . ”
We also ask if Facebook intends to put up lawmakers with detailed accounts of how these partnerships worked . In its meetings with Congress , European Parliament , and the German political science , Facebook administrator have largely exclude acknowledgment of this program . Documentssubmittedto German lawmakers only mention Blackberry as a partner in its private API and propose picayune detail on how the program exploit . When asked if Facebook would volunteer the complete detail of the program with lawmakers , a voice declined to give a unfluctuating answer but said it would work with lawmakers on any question they might have .
We ’ve interpret in multiple sessions with lawgiver on both side of the Atlantic that Facebook tends to leavea lot of questionsunansweredwhenever someone manages to get them in a room . We ’ve seen that it rarely opens up about programs that might be concerning for users until it’sforced to do so — and when it does , it withholds data until someone else makes it public . We ’ve seen that whenever it seems to have gotten its routine together , there ’s always another programwaitingto be uncovered . Loopholes and convoluted privacy agreements are used and abused until they ’re exposed as legal fig leaves . We ’ve ascertain that Facebook isintenton sharing and using selective information that is n’t wittingly handed over . We know Facebook isjust too bigto handle its massive responsibilities . live through this Groundhog Day of violating trust , saying it ’ll do considerably , scrambling behind the scenes , and avoiding square answers is boring for users and measuredly difficult to unpack every single time . We really do need a shorthand for this repetitive process . Allow us to paint a picture : “ The Facebook Experience . ”
[ New York Times , Facebook Newsroom ]
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