Facebook enabled Apple devices to obfuscate data sharing from users, report says [u]
A damning report on Tuesday provides further details on Facebook's shady data sharing practices, already under intense scrutiny for the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, suggesting the social media giant enabled Apple devices to surreptitiously collect information about users without their -- or apparently Apple's -- knowledge.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Citing "hundreds of pages" of Facebook documents, as well as interviews with former employees and partners, The New York Times reports the social network inked special data sharing arrangements with tech companies including Microsoft, Netflix, Spotify and Amazon. The symbiotic relationships were designed to stimulate growth, but potentially ran afoul of standing legal mandates and Facebook's own ruleset.
The report pulls from an internal Facebook document created in 2017 to track the company's web of partnerships. Detailed within are policies that appear to grant wide-roving third-party access to user information at a level far beyond what Facebook has admitted to publicly.
According to the Times, Facebook afforded certain partners special privilege to bypass standard privacy measures.
For example, Facebook revealed the names of "virtually all" users' friends to Microsoft's Bing search engine without consent, while Netflix and Spotify were granted access to private messages. Through their friends, users' names and contact information were provided to Amazon as Yahoo was able to view their posts, the report said.
The in-depth expose offers further insight and evidence pertaining to data sharing deals Facebook reached with some 60 smartphone manufacturers including Apple and Samsung.
In June, the publication said Facebook granted third-party access to users' personal data prior to the rollout of official Facebook apps for iOS and Android. At the time, Apple said it "relied on private access to Facebook data for features that enabled users to post photos to the social network without opening the Facebook app, among other things." The Cupertino tech giant ended the partnership last September.
Today's report adds to those claims, saying Facebook allowed Apple devices to obfuscate indicators that they were asking for personal data. Additionally, Apple devices were able to access the contact numbers and calendar entries of users who disabled sharing in Facebook's account settings, the report said.
Apple appears to have been unaware of the situation.
Responding to the new findings, Apple officials told the Times they did not know of the "special access" Facebook granted to its devices, adding that shared data stayed on a user's device and was not available to others.
Apple's statement toes the company line on user privacy and attempts to distance the tech giant from Facebook's questionable data sharing policies. CEO Tim Cook offered similar sentiment when asked about Apple's relationship with Facebook in June.
"The things mentioned in the Times article about relationship statuses and all these kinds of stuff, this is so foreign to us, and not data that we have ever received at all or requested -- zero," Cook said at the time.
Update: Netflix clarified its partnership with Facebook in a statement to AppleInsider.
"Over the years we have tried various ways to make Netflix more social. One example of this was a feature we launched in 2014 that enabled members to recommend TV shows and movies to their Facebook friends via Messenger or Netflix. It was never that popular so we shut the feature down in 2015," a company representative said. "At no time did we access people's private messages on Facebook, or ask for the ability to do so."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Citing "hundreds of pages" of Facebook documents, as well as interviews with former employees and partners, The New York Times reports the social network inked special data sharing arrangements with tech companies including Microsoft, Netflix, Spotify and Amazon. The symbiotic relationships were designed to stimulate growth, but potentially ran afoul of standing legal mandates and Facebook's own ruleset.
The report pulls from an internal Facebook document created in 2017 to track the company's web of partnerships. Detailed within are policies that appear to grant wide-roving third-party access to user information at a level far beyond what Facebook has admitted to publicly.
According to the Times, Facebook afforded certain partners special privilege to bypass standard privacy measures.
For example, Facebook revealed the names of "virtually all" users' friends to Microsoft's Bing search engine without consent, while Netflix and Spotify were granted access to private messages. Through their friends, users' names and contact information were provided to Amazon as Yahoo was able to view their posts, the report said.
The in-depth expose offers further insight and evidence pertaining to data sharing deals Facebook reached with some 60 smartphone manufacturers including Apple and Samsung.
In June, the publication said Facebook granted third-party access to users' personal data prior to the rollout of official Facebook apps for iOS and Android. At the time, Apple said it "relied on private access to Facebook data for features that enabled users to post photos to the social network without opening the Facebook app, among other things." The Cupertino tech giant ended the partnership last September.
Today's report adds to those claims, saying Facebook allowed Apple devices to obfuscate indicators that they were asking for personal data. Additionally, Apple devices were able to access the contact numbers and calendar entries of users who disabled sharing in Facebook's account settings, the report said.
Apple appears to have been unaware of the situation.
Responding to the new findings, Apple officials told the Times they did not know of the "special access" Facebook granted to its devices, adding that shared data stayed on a user's device and was not available to others.
Apple's statement toes the company line on user privacy and attempts to distance the tech giant from Facebook's questionable data sharing policies. CEO Tim Cook offered similar sentiment when asked about Apple's relationship with Facebook in June.
"The things mentioned in the Times article about relationship statuses and all these kinds of stuff, this is so foreign to us, and not data that we have ever received at all or requested -- zero," Cook said at the time.
Update: Netflix clarified its partnership with Facebook in a statement to AppleInsider.
"Over the years we have tried various ways to make Netflix more social. One example of this was a feature we launched in 2014 that enabled members to recommend TV shows and movies to their Facebook friends via Messenger or Netflix. It was never that popular so we shut the feature down in 2015," a company representative said. "At no time did we access people's private messages on Facebook, or ask for the ability to do so."
Comments
Still, has any actual harm been done to anyone due to Facebook’s data collection and apparent lack of control of said data? Serious question.
To date, Facebook has given us ZERO reason to trust them. To the contrary, they repeatedly show their disdain for personal privacy. I work in healthcare and organizations have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating protocols even when no actual breach of confidentiality occurred. What about Facebook? Time to hold Zuck personally accountable for every breach. Say $10 per account? That would probably negate the national debt.
Seems like the list goes on. I'd estimate tens of millions of people have been harmed by FB's commitment to 'domination' (Their early days' chant. No shit.) Perhaps as many as 100,000 deaths in the East, Ukraine, Africa. (Yes. Zuck will say, "We're connecting the world!")
Connecting the World via murderous information is up there with Big OIl's secret oil wars and assassinations.
You know what? Back in the 70s, there'd be a protest song about FB's casual evil. Where are you now, Mr Jones?
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/public_feed/
seems to describe just the sort of data collection and sharing that Mr. Cook implies Apple had no idea about.
EDIT: From Apple's announcement at the time:
– Facebook events are integrated into calendars and your contacts get Facebook connection as well.
– The App Store and iTunes Store are also getting Facebook integration
– Public Facebook integration API
– Single sign-on integration
– You can now post directly to Twitter and Facebook from Notification Center
– You can use Facebook to share apps, movies, tv shows and more from the stores.
– Share photos, talk smack from game center, and expect it to be integrated into notification center
Even default Apple settings allowed Facebook with Siri to bypass a locked phone, no passcode required, to feed posts to Facebook accounts.
I don't use Facebook but why should I have to just to read some comments. Newspapers are doing the same thing. Way too many companies have locked themselves into using Facebook so think about the amount of time and money it would cost these companies to get rid of Facebook. Too big to fail? Not in my book and I'd like to see them taken to court big time.
What shocks me is how freely people will give Facebook all of their info. Enough for someone to steal their identity. It like the dark web for dummies.
Apple has a problem when it comes to disciplining companies who abuse its rules protecting its customer’s data.
Remember when Google was busted for illegally collecting data from Safari even with Apple’s safeguards in place? All they got was a slap on the wrist.
Where they ran afoul of the FTC was (intentionally? Google says accidently) telling Safari users that simply opting out would prevent it when in reality the tracking continued. The FTC found that to be misleading and since they had already agreed to a prior FTC settlement not to mislead users it was an easy decision to find them guilty. Again.
Those same morons who defend Facebook would create a worldwide hashtag to take Apple down. #BoycottApple
And every media outlet would be on fire!!
This is the perfect time for Apple to release a social network. Google+ is shutting down and Facebook users have no alternative!
Make a default app, boast about privacy and make it more fun to use with less ads, less spam and simpler settings.