New York Governor Andrew Cuomo orders probe into Facebook access to other apps’ data
- Inquiry came after media report that apps share sensitive user data including weight, blood pressure and ovulation status with Facebook
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered two state agencies to investigate a media report that Facebook may be accessing far more personal information than previously known from smartphone users, including health and other sensitive data.
The directive to New York’s Department of State and Department of Financial Services (DFS) came after The Wall Street Journal said testing showed Facebook collected personal information from other apps on users’ smartphones within seconds of them entering it.
The WSJ reported that several apps share sensitive user data including weight, blood pressure and ovulation status with Facebook. The report said the company can access data in some cases even when the user is not signed into Facebook or does not have a Facebook account.
In a statement Cuomo called the practice an “outrageous abuse of privacy”. He also called on federal regulators to get involved.
Facebook said in a statement it would help New York officials in their investigation, but noted that the WSJ’s report focused on how other apps use people’s data to create ads.
“As [the WSJ] reported, we require the other app developers to be clear with their users about the information they are sharing with us, and we prohibit app developers from sending us sensitive data. We also take steps to detect and remove data that should not be shared with us,” the company said.