It was just last month that Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, stood before Congress to explain the Cambridge Analytica scandal and other privacy concerns to lawmakers. Now, Facebook is receiving criticism from both American and European lawmakers as news of additional data deals surface.
On Sunday, The New York Times published a report revealing that “Facebook gave device makers deep access to the data of users and their friends.” These device makers include Apple, Amazon, BlackBerry, Microsoft and Samsung.
These partnerships had never been reported, nor were they disclosed in Facebook’s consent decree, which was made with the Federal Trade Commission back in 2011. What’s more, these partnerships are still in effect following last month’s congressional hearings.
Therefore, although Facebook did prohibit app developers from accessing data after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, they did not prohibit tablets, cellphones and at least 60 other devices from these privacy restrictions.
Now, both lawmakers and regulators are asking why Zuckerberg made no mention of these data sharing partnerships when he testified before Congress in April. According to Johannes Caspar, Germany’s lead privacy regulator, Facebook’s data deals are “an unprecedented violation of privacy laws and user trust.”
American Democrat, Amy Klobuchar, who had questioned Zuckerberg last month, is also alarmed stating, “I’m extremely concerned that we are just now learning that even more personal user data was provided without consent.”
While pending investigations may shed light on the situation, Facebook is sharing their two cents on the company’s website. In an article entitled, Why We Disagree with The New York Times, Ice Archibong writes, “All these partnerships were built on a common interest – the desire for people to be able to use Facebook whatever their device or operating system.”