Following all that’s been happening in Facebook’s world, the social media giant has suspended 200 apps that are plugged into its platform. The Facebook audit has them investigating thousands more apps in an attempt to identify other developers that have misused the personal data of the 2 billion-plus people who use Facebook like some phone spy apps.
The Facebook audit of applications comes after the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. That data collection entity was caught stealing information from 87 million Facebook users and landed them, as well as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in the hot seat.
Which Apps Have Been Identified In The Facebook Audit?
Zuckerberg and company haven’t released any of the offending apps’ names yet due to the arduous process of confirming whether they have committed any infractions or not. They are combing through a large number of data and erring on the side of caution before making final decisions.
A statement released by Facebook’s vice president of product partnerships, Ime Archibong, said:
“… Thousands of apps have been investigated and around 200 have been suspended — pending a thorough investigation into whether they did in fact misuse any data. Where we find evidence that these or other apps did misuse data, we will ban them and notify people via this website. It will show people if they or their friends installed an app that misused data before 2015 — just as we did for Cambridge Analytica.”
What Does The Current Facebook Audit Mean For Future Apps?
The Cambridge Analytica incident was a huge wake-up call for Facebook, as well as every other web site and app developer. It let them all know that the handling of their customers’ personal information is no longer up for grabs. That the misuse of power should and will have consequences. Now, many are updating their privacy policies and trying to reassure users that they truly care about them. How it all turns out is anyone’s guess, but there’s a sense that at least there is a watchdog at work. Hopefully, its bite is much worse than its bark.
What’s your view on the entire scandal and the way Facebook is now handling it? Do you think they’ll be able to identify all of the Facebook Apps that have stolen data? Let us know in the comments section below.
