An investigation by Wall Street Journal on Facebook Privacy revealed that the top Facebook apps reveal cewrtain information that can be used to obtain personal information like name, and friends’s names to advertising companies. The report claims that this is not an isolated case and millions of people who uses the apps are affected by it. Three Facebook Apps in the top 10 apps, including FarmVille, reveal user’s personal information.
Wall Street Journal’s report on Facebook Privacy breach is yet another headache for Facebook. Facebook has been strongly criticised for its complicated privacy settings and changing privacy rules frequently to reveal more personal information to the public.
Facebook: Knowledge of User ID Does Not Reveal Private Information
Reacting to the Wall Street Journal’s report, Facebook wrote in its blog that Facebook is aware that several apps are passing the user ID (UID) in violation of its policy. However, they did not do it intentionally. Blaming it on the browsers Facebook said, Facebook UID are revealed due to the technical details of how browsers work.
Facebook went on to say that Wall Street Journal’s report has exaggerated the implications of sharing a user ID and one can not access private information just by using UID. Facebook says without users’ consent one can not access private information.
Facebook added that
Nevertheless, we are committed to ensuring that even the inadvertent passing of UIDs is prevented and all applications are in compliance with our policy.
We have experience addressing this sort of issue previously, although the technical challenges here are greater. We are talking with our key partners and the broader Web community about possible solutions. We will have more details over the course of the next few days.
Ensuring that Facebook users are in control of their information is essential for the success of your application and the rest of Facebook Platform. We encourage you to review our policy and your use of user information, including UIDs.
Related posts:
- Facebook Privacy Controls Come to Mobile
- Seven Privacy Sins of Facebook: FTC Report
- Facebook Explains the Role of Ads in Facebook
- Facebook Makes Privacy Control Simple
- Google Building Facebook Rival: WSJ Reports
- Facebook Launches Revamped Facebook Groups and Gives More Control to Users
- Facebook Privacy: An Endangered Species?