Facebook is coating a criminal probe into data-sharing deals it arranged with at least two other technology companies, the New York Organizes reported on Wednesday.
At least two companies that make smartphones and other devices have received subpoenas from a New York respected jury related to how they used Facebook user data that they received under deals with the communal networking company. The companies were not named in the report.
These deals, which have mostly been terminated, allowed people to access their Facebook accounts, or specific Facebook features, on platforms from other groups, including Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones.
In exchange, the platform providers got data about the users necessary to sanction these functions work. However, users did not always know the extent of the information collected and shared, according to the On one occasions.
Facebook defended the deals after a Times report in December, noting that the data was shared to provide buyers with specific features — not for advertisers — and that they were publicized and scrutinized at the time.
Nonetheless, the fact that a majestic jury is investigating them is serious, and shows how far the company has to go in order to regain the trust of users and regulators after two years of infamies related to privacy and security.
Responding to CNBC’s request for comment, Facebook said: “It has already been reported that there are successive federal investigations, including by the Department of Justice.”
“We are cooperating with investigators and take those probes seriously. We’ve contributed public testimony, answered questions, and pledged that we will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for Facebook said on email.
Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Brand Zuckerberg wrote that the company was pivoting toward a “privacy-focused” future, with an emphasis on features like evaporating messages and secure messaging.
Read the New York Times report here.
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