Facebook allegedly offered advertisers special access to users' data and activities,...

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



Facebook allegedly offered advertisers special access to users' data and activities, according to documents released by British lawmakers

By Craig Timberg, Elizabeth Dwoskin and Tony Romm December 5 at 9:48 AM

A key British lawmaker alleged Wednesday that Facebook maintained “whitelisting agreements” that gave select companies preferential access to valuable user data, echoing a key claim from an app developer that has been embroiled in a lawsuit with the social network in a California court.

Damian Collins, chairman of a British parliamentary committee that has led a wide-ranging investigation into Facebook and its dealings with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, released a summary of findings along with more than 200 pages of documents Wednesday. Facebook has denied that it offered preferential access to data for major advertisers, as the app developer, Six4Three, has alleged in its suit.

Collins released a limited trove of documents that long have been sealed in a California court, along with a summary saying, “Facebook have clearly entered into whitelisting agreements with certain companies, which meant that after the platform changes in 2014/15 they maintained full access to friends data. It is not clear that there was any user consent for this, nor how Facebook decided which companies should be whitelisted or not.”

Facebook, which has long said it does not sell user data, did not immediately reply to requests for comment but has disputed such allegations in the past, saying that some legal documents filed by Six4Three were misleadingly crafted and do not represent the company’s practices or policies.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/12/05/facebook-allegedly-offered-advertisers-special-access-users-data-activities-according-documents-released-by-british-lawmakers/?utm_term=.1bc702d0a2d5&wpisrc=al_news__alert-economy--alert-national&wpmk=1

[FormerOstrich]

1. I know. I know.

Millions need facebook "to communicate/stay in touch with their family and really don't post that much". Personally, I don't understand why anyone is still using facebook at all. Period.

Dear Facebook user,

You are not a Facebook customer. You are Facebook's product. They sell you. Just as a pimp does. You are "hooked" on the Facebook drug and are being trafficked.

Sincerely,
FormerOstrich

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. Exactly

And I'm tired of organizations I'm involved in assuming their only option for distributing member info and engaging in internal interaction is a Facebook group. No, it's most definitely not.

[blugbox]

2. I hadn't used my profile in years...

And when this news about Cambridge Analytica broke, I deleted it.

Haven't looked back and never missed it even before deleting my account. Good riddance.

[BigmanPigman]

4. Fuckerberg may be young and a "hip tech dude" but he is also a greedy liar.

He is responsible and must be penalized for his illegal activity in the US as well as Europe.

[FormerOstrich]

5. I agree!

He doesn't even show up at inquiries and sends others.

[BigmanPigman]

6. I should add "gutless"

along with my other adjectives. He knew what he was doing and I am sick of his superior attitude that he is providing a great service to mankind. He is a common crook like most of the GOP.