But what was surprising, at least to me, was how many of
those app users consented to participate in the study: 48,968 of them — which included individuals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Not exact matches
The really egregious part of it is that the Facebook friends of these
app users had their data accessed as well, and they never
consented to any of it.
Another clause in the contract between GSR and SCL specifies that Kogan's company will «seek out informed
consent of the seed
user engaging with GS Technology» — which would presumably refer to the ~ 270,000 people who agreed to take the personality quiz in the
app deployed via Facebook's platform.
Over the summer of 2014 the
app is downloaded by around 270,000 Facebook
users and ends up harvesting personal information on as many as 87 million people — the vast majority of whom would have not known or
consented to data being passed
In a statement reflecting on developments he writes: «Facebook has millions of times illegally distributed data of its
users to various dodgy
apps — without the
consent of those affected.
That means Zuckerberg is now slated for two high - profile congressional hearings over how the company allowed an
app to harvest extensive data on as many as 87 million
users without their
consent before said
app traded notes with shady electoral firm Cambridge Analytica.
But this was no obstacle to data collectors: while Kosinski always asked for the
consent of Facebook
users, many
apps and online quizzes today require access to private data as a precondition for taking personality tests.
Facebook disclosed late Friday that it knew Cambridge Analytica had taken
users» information without their
consent by obtaining it from a psychology researcher who legitimately gleaned details on
users» likes and habits via a personality quiz
app in 2013.
However, to take the quiz,
users had to
consent to give the
app access to their and their friends» Facebook profiles.
However, despite Wylie's dramatic claims that he and Cambridge «broke Facebook,» the harvesting of such data, even from
users» friends who didn't clearly
consent, does seem to have been clearly allowed by Facebook at the time, and many
app developers had similar practices.
With
consent,
users give the
app abundant personal data.
We -
Consent does not serve as a dating platform, as
users do not meet new people through the
app.
We -
Consent, an
app developed by the Institute for the Study of Coherence and Emergence, allows
users to document agreements for sexual acts through the
app.
LegalFling — an
app currently being developed by Netherlands - based LegalThings — which declined an interview request from the Free Press — allows
users to
consent to sex with other
users with a single tap «in a legally binding agreement,» according to its website.
Users are required to record a verbal answer of
consent within the
app.
Such a system will also prohibit
users from purchasing any
apps accidentally without their parents»
consent.
Having added the new markets into their list of Country availability for
apps & digital
consent, 36 countries are compatible with their Books
app which means
users can buy and sell books online in their local currency.
For example, serious issues of informed
consent arise when it comes to
users understanding how the data collected by
apps will be protected or used.
Read the current news for other iPhone
Apps that attempted to mine crypto with or without the
user's
consent.
There are
apps for smartphones that allow
consenting users (and not so
consenting users) to track each other, finessing the problem of sending the information via a human being.
While Facebook didn't explain how many
users had their data snagged by the «thisisyourdigitallife»
app, the reports say it pulled private info from more than 50 million people even though they didn't know about it or
consent — an act that at the time was allowed under Facebook's rules.
If this policy was in place before, it would not have changed anything with regards to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which involves permissions in prior versions of Facebook's API that gave a shady
app the ability to collect extensive data on up to 50 million
users without their
consent.
The social network has found itself back under FTC investigation, after revelations that earlier versions of its
app policies allowed third - parties to extract the personal information of millions of
users without their explicit
consent.
Aleksandr Kogan requested and gained access to information from
users who chose to sign up to his
app, and everyone involved gave their
consent,» an update posted on Saturday morning on Facebook's blog post reads.
Since 2010, Xiaomi has become one of the largest manufacturers of smartphones, tablets, fitness trackers, and
apps [8] The brand has been criticized for spreading malware and spyware on its devices and for secretly stealing
user data without their knowledge or
consent [9][10][11].
That means Zuckerberg is now slated for two high - profile congressional hearings over how the company allowed an
app to harvest extensive data on as many as 87 million
users without their
consent before said
app traded notes with shady electoral firm Cambridge Analytica.
For one, though Zuckerberg repeatedly promised that Facebook would conduct a «full forensic audit» of which
apps may have gained access to
user data without their full
consent before tighter rules took effect in 2014, he was unable to offer any details on if other companies had absconded with
user data.
Users must
consent to giving
apps their data, but sometimes — as in the case of Kogan's
app — developers can access data about a
consenting user's friends, without getting those friends»
consent.
The Cambridge Analytica controversy sprang from the use of an old version of Facebook's Connected
Apps API, which had a «friends permission» feature that let third - party developers collect
users» data without their
consent or knowledge.
It's unacceptable that for years the company allowed
app developers to cart off data of
users who didn't
consent to it, and it's not clear that Facebook even respected the online privacy regulations it was supposed to be following that the Federal Trade Commission issued in 2011.
This revelation unleashed a wave of criticism against the gay dating
app for potentially putting its
users at risk of having information from their profiles, including HIV status, released more widely than they had intended or understood when they
consented to using the
app.
Facebook's decision to be friendly to
app developers partially led to at least 50 million
user profile data being exposed without all of the
users» direct
consent.
An
app like Zomato or Myntra can get access to some Facebook data from your profile, once you, the
user give
consent for the same.
Facebook is currently facing numerous lawsuits and a Federal Trade Commission investigation over the Cambridge Analytica situation, in which the company's loose data controls allegedly enabled a shady
app to run off with extensive data on 50 million
users without their
consent.
When Facebook discovered a developer had shared
users» data without their
consent in 2015, it asked both the original
app and the consultancy to delete the data.
Grewal said Kogan had «requested and gained access to information from
users who chose to sign up to his
app, and everyone involved gave their
consent.
These rules had reduced data access for third - party
apps on Facebook, and ensured that an
app could not get access to the data of a
user's friends, unless the friends also gave
consent to the
app.
On Saturday, Facebook's deputy general counsel, Paul Grewal, appeared to defend the lax policies that allowed data harvesting from unwitting friends, writing in a statement: «Aleksandr Kogan requested and gained access to information from
users who chose to sign up to his
app, and everyone involved gave their
consent.»
This is important: When they install
apps with very invasive permissions, much like the one at the center of the Cambridge Analytica debacle, those
apps can browse Facebook like the
user can, seeing what you share with your friends, even though you never
consented to let that
app (which is acting like an extension of your friend) see and take your information.
The social media platform has had to re-register
consent from all of its existing European
users, as well as through each separate
app used by its ad - generating network, the Audience Network and Custom Audiences, which puts ads on website and
apps outside of Facebook.
[Note: Google would only use that information for
users who have
consented to associate their Web and
App Activity history with their Google account.]
3) It will place a temporary notice at the top of
users» news feeds encouraging them to review the data they've
consented to share with various
apps.
If
users install an
app, they give
consent to sharing private information — but their friends do not.
He also said the social media cell of the EC would go into the issue of
App of politicians and political parties sharing
user data without the
users»
consent.
In addition to the Russia issue, Facebook has also been facing growing concerns over Cambridge Analytica, a data analysis firm which allegedly used an
app to harvest data on 50 million Facebook
users without their
consent.
Both open beta builds will remove the Clipboard functionality, which was under scanner after French security researcher called Elliot Alderson who runs the Twitter handle @fs0c131y alleged that the file in the OxygenOS beta clipboard
app called badwords.txt was helping the company identify some data and sending it back to a Chinese server without
user consent.
Facebook's privacy practices have come under fire after revelations that Cambridge Analytica got data on Facebook
users, including information on friends of people who had downloaded a psychological quiz
app, even though those friends hadn't given explicit
consent to sharing.
«Once we have added this capability,
apps and services will be able to interact with
user's data using a common messaging conduit by requesting granular
consent.
Facebook has previously confirmed 270,000 people downloaded Kogan's
app — a data harvesting route which, thanks to the lax structure of Facebook's APIs at the time, enabled the foreign political consultancy firm to acquire information on more than 50 million Facebook
users, according to the Observer, the vast majority of whom would have had no idea their data had been passed to CA because they were never personally asked to
consent to it.
The
app was downloaded 270,000 times and
users consented to give up personal details as well as connections to their friends list.