Facebook Shuts Off Access To User Data For Hundreds of Thousands of Apps (theverge.com) 32
In a blog post, Facebook said that it's shutting off access to its application programming interface for hundreds of thousands of inactive apps. This interface is what lets app developers access user data. The Verge reports: The company had set an August 1st deadline back in May, during its F8 developer conference, for developers and businesses to re-submit apps to an internal review, a process that involves signing new contracts around user data collection and verifying one's authenticity. The goal is to ensure third-party software on Facebook was in line with the company's data privacy rules and new restrictions put in place in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a third-party developer siphoned user data and sold it to another firm in violation of Facebook's terms of service. Now, after it identified numerous apps that were either inactive or from developers who had not submitted the software for review, Facebook is cutting off those apps' access to its Platform API.
Where's the money? (Score:3)
Cambridge Analytics failed because they couldn't find a way to make money off of the user data it collected, so where's the value in making user data collection apps?
Seems like FB is doing the right thing by requiring app-store like code review... and shutting off the apps that don't comply with new rules... a rare move on their part.
Re: (Score:2)
Data privacy (Score:1)
How is "data privacy" going to allow an ad company to sell ads?
Every ad company will be able to show "authenticity" as they are an ad company...
How can an ad company sort its ads and provide the very best service to people paying for and placing ads?
Re: (Score:2)
"How is "data privacy" going to allow an ad company to sell ads? "
"Data privacy" or not, ad companies will always be selling all the ads they want.
Re: (Score:2)
Free "social media" has to place and find lots of new ads to pay its wages? Ads from where if the ad companies get held back with data privacy?
Will social media do direct and only allow its own ads?
Re: (Score:2)
"Ads from where if the ad companies get held back with data privacy?"
Facebook will just have to charge less to place an ad.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
"But the social media company has wages to cover?"
Considering their profit margin they could still easily do that.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Not sure I'm following you. Facebook can still sell ad space in various ways even if some of them are less targeted.
facebook's business is selling user data (Score:5, Interesting)
facebook's business is selling user data, gathered in site and off site, in both open and sneaky ways, to third parties.
they may alter their contracts and engage in spin campaigns giving the impression they wont, but they will still sell the data.
instead of vaguely pretending otherwise, facebook needs to admit it openly, and be open about the ways they gather and sell data, and about to whom they sell.
they should also give users full access to data gathered about them. they should not gather data about people not registered with facebook.
in that case, it would be clear, if you choose to use facebook, you are giving zuck power to sell your data.
and as long as 3rd parties pay for data and are acting legally, there is nothing wrong with such data being used for political or commercial campaigns.
Re: facebook's business is selling user data (Score:1)
Facebook makes a good large chunk of their revenue from selling mass surveillance data & services to (repressive) governments worldwide. Openly disclosing their business activities would likely be extremely illegal in multiple countries.
Inactive APPS (Score:1)
These are only the *inactive* apps. You know, the apps students put together at various hack-a-thons Facebook hosted around the world when it was offering up user data, not the commercials ones that harvest and re sell user data.
e.g. "World Hack Moscow", was an event hosted by Zuckerberg where he showed a group of keen Moscow hackers how they could access all of Facebooks loverly user data. They slapped together a bunch of apps for practise. These will be inactive apps, whose token is revoked.
https://boingb
Re: (Score:2)
This'll fix everything (Score:1)
Pretty much a logical move ... (Score:2)
The TOS for CYA, not for enforcement (less money (Score:2)
The wording added to the TOS isn't about Facebook doesn't want to keep getting money from companies who abuse users' data in all sorts of ways. They aren't removing any *active* apps, apps they get paid from. The clause in the TOS is about Facebook being able to point to that and say "we told them not do that" the next time one of the apps is in the news. Alternatively, in a class action suit, Facebook can again say "our TOS said that's not allowed". The TOS isn't for Facebook to enforce, it's their excuse.
So now only active apps left that abuse your data? (Score:2)
But what if we pay for them in Rubles? (Score:2)
Well, will that change your mind?