Facebook is once again involved in a controversial situation regarding privacy issues. The company has confirmed that thousands of developers have been able to access data from inactive users, which is an unexpected behavior.
After the Cambridge Analytica crisis in 2018, Facebook established new guidelines that prevent developers from receiving data from users who haven’t used the social network for more than 90 days.
As users can connect third-party apps with Facebook, developers can have access to personal information from those who have such apps linked to a Facebook account. As noted by Engadget, the company didn’t say how long this security breach was active or how many users were affected.
Facebook didn’t disclose how long the “issue” had been around before it was fixed, or how many users may have been impacted. The company said it affected “approximately 5,000 developers” from “the last several months.” Facebook also didn’t specify exactly what data may have been improperly shared, but said the users had previously authorized the apps to receive the data in question.
Facebook claimed the issue was fixed as soon as it was discovered and that no additional information was shared besides what the user had authorized in privacy settings while the Facebook account was still active.
We fixed the issue the day after we found it. We’ll keep investigating and will continue to prioritize transparency around any major updates.
The company also reinforces its privacy policies to ensure that developers understand their responsibility to user data.
