Apps send sensitive health data to Facebook

An analysis by the Wall Street Journal, shows how many popular Apps that pass sensitive data to the Facebook group. It is a question of health data, heart rate, weight, or menstrual. But also saved prices apartment search. The journalists investigated with the help of a Software, what is the data type 70 popular Apps from the Apple Store.

When eleven of them had been given more sensitive data. In many cases, this happened without the users have been informed. Often there was no possibility of the data transfer. Experts said, according to the report, that this practice could infringe in Europe against the data protection regulation (DSGVO). Also affected are users who have no Facebook account. The data will provide a developer interface, the personalized Facebook-to allow for advertising.

Against the terms and conditions

An example of this is the App Flo, with the help of women your menstrual hold cycles. A user enters information, the App sends a packet of data to Facebook. According to the report, this contains both information about the device on which the user of the App has been installed, as well as the data collected from Flo – for example, to the ovulation of the user. Such data can connect profiles Facebook with existing users.

A spokeswoman for the company told the Wall Street Journal, the App provider would be violated with this practice against the terms and conditions. This would prohibit "health or financial data, or other types of sensitive information" on Facebook. The company had therefore instructed the concerned App provider, such information will not further disclose. You should not keep it, will Facebook take further steps.

Facebook is under pressure

In the past, there had been similar reports, which showed how different Apps to share data with Facebook. The report in the Wall Street Journal is still awkward for Faceboook. Because the company was recently coming under increasingly heavy criticism for its handling of user data. In the United States authorities determine, because Facebook policy-data company Cambridge Analytica granted access to the data of millions of users.

In Germany, the Federal cartel office Facebook said at the beginning of February, the data from different sources in the individual Facebook accounts in Germany without the explicit consent of the user. It also involves group subsidiaries like Whatsapp and Instagram, as well as websites and Apps of other operators.

Created: 23.02.2019, 21:40 PM