Several smartphone apps are sending sensitive user data, including health information, to Facebook Inc without users’ consent, a Wall Street Journal report said.
An analytics tool called App Events allows app developers to record user activity and report it back to Facebook, even if the user is not on Facebook, the report said.
One example detailed by the newspaper shows how a woman would track her period and ovulation using an app from Flo Health. After she enters when she last had her period, Facebook software in the app would send along data, such as whether the user might be ovulating.
The Journal’s testing found that the data were sent with an advertising ID that can be matched to a device or profile.
Although Facebook’s terms instruct app developers not to send such sensitive information, Facebook appeared to be accepting such data without telling the developers to stop. Developers can use such data to target their own users while on Facebook.
Facebook said in a statement that it requires apps to tell users what information is shared with Facebook and “prohibits app developers from sending us sensitive data.”
Facebook works to remove information that developers should not have sent it, the company said.
The development comes as Facebook is dealing with increased scrutiny over how it handles user data. Last week, British lawmakers issued a scathing report calling for tougher privacy rules for Facebook and other tech firms.
The data-sharing is related to a data analytics tool that Facebook offers developers. The tool lets developers see statistics about their users and target them with Facebook advertisements.
Beside Flo Health, the Wall Street Journal found that Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor and real-estate app Realtor.com were also sending app data to Facebook.
The apps did not provide users with any way to stop the data-sharing, the newspaper said.
Flo Health said in an e-mailed statement that using analytical systems is a “common practice” for all app developers and that it uses Facebook analytics for “internal analytics purposes only.”
However, the company said it plans to audit its analytics tools to be “as proactive as possible” on privacy concerns.
Hours after the story was published, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo directed the New York Department of State and Department of Financial Services to “immediately investigate” what he said was a clear invasion of consumer privacy.
The Democrat also urged US federal regulators to step in to end the practice.
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