Facebook is collecting deeply personal info from apps
- 5 years ago
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA — You'd think Facebook would've learned by now that hoovering people's personal info without their say-so is going to get them into some hot doo-doo. But apparently not.
A Wall Street Journal report has found that the social media giant has been collecting sensitive personal information from at least 11 popular apps, including Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor, Flo Period and Ovulation Tracker, and Realtor.com.
That means Facebook potentially knows your weight, blood pressure, heart rate, your last period, whether you're trying to get pregnant, and even what real estate listings you're looking at.
Typically, users can limit what information apps can access, such as location or contacts. But it seems this doesn't apply to data users enter directly into the app.
In fact, according to the report, users don't need to log into their Facebook accounts, or even be Facebook members for the social network to be able to collect their data.
They have no idea private developers are handing over their info to Facebook, and none of the offending apps provide an option to stop it from being sent.
Facebook responded to the report by saying they require apps to be clear with users about what information is being sent, adding that they prohibit the sending of data regarded as sensitive. Sure.
And yet they provide developers with an analytics tool that lets them check out stats on user activities, so they can then target them with Facebook ads.
Geez Facebook, when will you ever stop?
A Wall Street Journal report has found that the social media giant has been collecting sensitive personal information from at least 11 popular apps, including Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor, Flo Period and Ovulation Tracker, and Realtor.com.
That means Facebook potentially knows your weight, blood pressure, heart rate, your last period, whether you're trying to get pregnant, and even what real estate listings you're looking at.
Typically, users can limit what information apps can access, such as location or contacts. But it seems this doesn't apply to data users enter directly into the app.
In fact, according to the report, users don't need to log into their Facebook accounts, or even be Facebook members for the social network to be able to collect their data.
They have no idea private developers are handing over their info to Facebook, and none of the offending apps provide an option to stop it from being sent.
Facebook responded to the report by saying they require apps to be clear with users about what information is being sent, adding that they prohibit the sending of data regarded as sensitive. Sure.
And yet they provide developers with an analytics tool that lets them check out stats on user activities, so they can then target them with Facebook ads.
Geez Facebook, when will you ever stop?