Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) announced the suspension of several apps from 400 developers over a year on privacy concerns. According to the blog post released on Friday, Facebook said it banned the apps that indulge inappropriate sharing of data of users without their consent. It is a clear violation of the Facebook policies, and as a result, the data is available on public domains.
Court reveals Facebook suspends 64,000 apps
Facebook admission of suspending tens of thousands of apps just coincided with the court revealed that the company suspended 64,000 apps. The court revelation is on the backdrop of an investigation that began in March 2018 into the disclosure of personal data of 87 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica without their permission. It is purportedly to help the presidential campaign of Donald Trump in 2016.
Ten Thousand Apps mishandling user data
In a separate investigation led by Massachusetts Attorney General, 10,000 apps are mishandling the personal data of Facebook users. This is confirmed from the unsealed documents available in Boston state court. Facebook suspended most of the apps because app developers failed to respond to a request for information through an email.
As part of the ongoing investigation, Facebook suspended 400 apps in April 2018 after verifying millions of apps. To settle the privacy concerns emanated because of Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook paid $5 billion in July to the Federal Trade Commission.
Raises questions about handling of personal information
The suspension of the apps on a large scale raises doubts over how the large tech companies and Facebook handle the personal information of the users and how much marketing power the private information commands. The justice department investigates Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Apple Inc to know personal data is compromised. FTC is investigating Facebook for user’s data misuse. The house lawmakers enquired 80 companies about how the data breach has affected their businesses.
The recent acknowledgment of the personal data violation by Facebook raises serious questions and faces political pressure on how Facebook and other companies do the business. Some are advocating for stringent regulations whereas Sen. Elizabeth Warren presidential candidate indicates breaking up of the companies. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has spent billions of dollars to secure the platform of Facebook.