Facebook suspends hundreds of apps over data concerns

Facebook on Wednesday said it has suspended more than 400 of thousands of applications it has investigated to determine whether people ’ s personal information was being improperly shared.Applications were suspended “ due to concerns around the developers who built them or how the information people chose to share with the app may have been used , ” vice president of product partnerships Ime Archibong said in a blog post .
Apps put on hold at the social network were being scrutinized more closely , according to Archibong .

The app unit launched in March by Facebook stemmed from the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal .

Facebook admitted that up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica , which was working for Donald Trump ’ s 2016 presidential campaign .

Archibong said that a myPersonality app was banned by the social network for not agreeing to an audit and “ because it ’ s clear that they shared information with researchers as well as companies with only limited protections in place . ”

Facebook planned to notify the approximately four million members of the social network who shared information with myPersonality , which was active mostly prior to 2012 , according to Archibong .

Facebook has modified app data sharing policies since the Cambridge Analytica scandal .

“ We will continue to investigate apps and make the changes needed to our platform to ensure that we are doing all we can to protect people ’ s information , ” Archibong said .

Britain ’ s data regulator said last month that it will fine Facebook half a million pounds for failing to protect user data, as part of its investigation into whether personal information was misused ahead of the Brexit referendum.

The Information Commissioner ’ s Office began investigating the social media giant earlier this year due to the Cambridge Analytica data mishandling .

Cambridge Analytica has denied accusations and has filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Britain .

Silicon Valley – based Facebook last month acknowledged it faces multiple inquiries from regulators about the Cambridge Analytica user data scandal .

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg apologized to the European Parliament in May and said the social media giant is taking steps to prevent such a breach from happening again .

Zuckerberg was grilled about the breach in US Congress in April.

( AFP )

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