iOS apps caught sharing sensitive information with Facebook: Details here
What's the story
Facebook's data mining practices are no secret; the company collects user-data and employs it for ad-targeting. However, in a recent investigation, the Wall Street Journal found that several iOS apps deliver the information fed into them to Facebook. This information can be very sensitive at times and is shared without proper permission or disclosure. Here are the details.
Details
At least 11 popular apps caught sharing data
In its test, WSJ caught at least 11 iOS apps delivering sensitive information to Facebook. The apps focused on tracking stuff like body weight or menstrual cycles and delivered all these details to Facebook, even when the user didn't have an account. Notably, users can restrict information access, but that only applies to smartphone-related data, not to directly-fed information.
Information
Which are these apps?
The apps that were found sharing data have tens of millions of downloads and included names like Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, BetterMe: Weight Loss Workouts, Breethe, Realtor.com, and Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor. This means many have unwittingly shared personal data with Facebook.
Information sensitivity
Notably, the information shared is incredibly sensitive
To put things into perspective, HR Monitor shared a user's heart rate with Facebook immediately after it was recorded, while Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, which has over 25 million downloads, shared when a user was having a period or intended to get pregnant. In another case, Realtor.com informed Facebook about the listings viewed by a user with their exact prices and locations.
Reason
Why such information is being shared
Going by the report, the developers seem to be using App Events, an analytics tool from Facebook, to share such information with the social network. Facebook's idea is to then target their users with more precise ads and related content. And, worryingly enough, they neither informed the targeted users about such mining practices nor gave a way to stop that information from being sent.
Facebook's response
Here's what Facebook said about the data it collects
Facebook told the Journal that some of apps flagged in the investigation appear to violate its terms. The company said it specifically instructs developers to inform users about the data being shared and not deliver "health, financial information or other categories of sensitive information". It added the apps flagged are being notified to stop sharing data and may even face additional action on non-compliance.
Information
Also, Facebook claims it doesn't use sensitive information
Along with its action, a spokesperson from Facebook even emphasized that the company doesn't use the sensitive information shared by the developers for ad-targeting or improving other experiences on Facebook. It automatically deletes the critical information received such as Social Security Numbers.