Posted on 12/18/2018 8:09:48 PM PST by yesthatjallen
Facebook granted major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Netflix access to users' personal data in ways not previously disclosed, according to interviews and internal documents reported by The New York Times.
The news outlet cited interviews and hundreds of documents from the social media platform that showed the company allowed Microsoft's Bing search engine to view the names of Facebook users' friends without consent; allowed Netflix and Spotify to read users' private messages; and allowed Amazon to obtain users' names and contact information.
The agreements between Facebook and tech companies applied to more than 150 companies, most of which are technology and online retail sites, the Times reported.
Each of the deals were in effect as recently as 2017, and some were active this year, according to the Times.
Steve Satterfield, Facebook's director of privacy and public policy, told The Hill in a statement that none of the arrangements violated users' privacy agreements, or a deal between Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission, which outlawed the social media platform from sharing user data without explicit consent.
"We know we've got work to do to regain people's trust," Satterfield said in a statement. "Protecting people's information requires stronger teams, better technology, and clearer policies, and that's where we've been focused for most of 2018."
The Times report comes as Facebook has grappled with controversy after controversy over the past two years for its handling of users' privacy and of misinformation campaigns aimed at disrupting the 2016 election.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg vowed in the wake of a privacy breach involving British firm Cambridge Analytica that the company was "taking steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
The New York Times published a report last month that said the platform's leadership was slow to confront Russian efforts to exploit the platform for election meddling, and that it hired a public relations firm to accuse liberal financier George Soros of funding some of the groups that were speaking out against Facebook.
Oh, it was known, by those paying attention. What the headline should say is:
"Facebook gave more user data access to tech firms than previously ADMITTED."
Why do all my apps need access to all my files, pictures, cameras and microphones?
I restrict my apps in accessing my contacts. Just for fun I placed the phone number for the Playboy mansion so this one app could quit bothering me before I deleted it..
I always assumed that Facebook gave out every bit of data they got to those who pay for it.
and my camera, and a lot else....I recently shut down access to see what would happen...now everytime I want to use my camera, contacts, etc, I have to give “access”....UGH
and people can’t figure out why their email’s are spoofed.
Their business model is to collect your data and then sell it. But the naive public thinks that they are getting something for nothing.
I smell a great opportunity for some people to sue these privacy abusers for many many billions of dollars
He sold everything or he would not be rich.
I suspect many people clicked “I agree” to terms that allowed this; I was listening to a guy on the radio the other night describing how so much of this info was basically volunteered by the users themselves.
I’ve never used social media, and think people who do need to be very careful. So many pitfalls; just the fact that some pictures posted include GPS locations is creepy (never mind sharing your opinions publicly in this world that is now a combination of “1984” and Red China).
Not too far back, Facebook made what they called a change in their security procedure. It was a lie, as far as “security” goes.
When you logged on the first since the new procedure was inaugurated, they took you through some steps they claimed was to identify the use of the computer that you were using was truly YOU, and then from that computer they’d never have to ask again. Somehow this was supposed to BE SURE it was you logging into Facebook from that computer.
It was a lie.
What really happened after that?
After that, all you had to do was initiate ANY Internet connected activity and Facebook then knew you were ON the Internet.
That fact was made apparent by messages you started to get from Facebook - “notifications” - when the only thing you had done was open your browser, or start your POP Email client software and ask it to look for new Email.
What Facebook did was that recorded your PC as “you” and then scraped Internet traffic data, just like Google, to see (without you logging onto Facebook) anytime “you” popped up, in affect notifying Facebook you were “on”.
You can honestly imagine there is more; like the possibility that Facebook is also now monitoring ALL your Internet activity and building a “social identify” of who you are.
I say, when he comes, the Antichrist will find a treasure trove in Facebook. I’ve never had a Facebook account - but of course, there’s still plenty of data on every citizen being collected.
I worked with some people, with Master’s Degrees, mind you, that couldn’t figure out Google.
Oh well (adjusts tinfoil)
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