Facebook Disclosed User Data To Developers, Again; How Harmful Is It?

Facebook is in soup, once again for the same reason. The social media giant has yet again disclosed user data where it shouldn't have. At least 5,000 developers have received user data from Facebook who claims the data was from inactive users who had used the Facebook app in more than 90 days.

Facebook Shares User Data

Technically, Facebook guidelines note that developers shouldn't be receiving any data once they are inactive, which according to the company are accounts haven't been used in more than 90 days. This rule was brought in after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which shook the company foundation to tighten its policies.

However, the company has disclosed that developers have once again received user data of inactive users. Facebook hasn't disclosed how long the data was shared before the issue was spotted on fixed. It only said that it affected "approximately 5,000 developers" from "the last several months".

"We haven't seen evidence that this issue resulted in sharing information that was inconsistent with the permissions people gave when they logged in using Facebook," the company wrote.

This is certainly long enough to get user data from many inactive accounts, considering the large user base Facebook has. We also don't know what data might have been improperly shared. Facebook notes that the data shared were mainly from apps that users had previously authorized to receive the data in question.

What Is Up With Facebook?

This isn't the first time Facebook is mishandling user data, be it from active users or inactive ones. From the looks of it, this won't be the last time the issue occurs either. The blog post from Facebook further notes that the company has fixed the issue the day after it was discovered and it plans to "keep investigating."

Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a lot of users quit using the social media platform. Over time, people have either switched to other platforms like Instagram (again owned by Facebook) or have reactivated their Facebook accounts.

But Facebook has been putting user data is constantly at risk, including people's privacy and personal data. The latest incident is another example. How many more such incidents do we need to face before the platform strengthens its policies and infrastructure?