Facebook comes under fire after it was accused of having several apps that collect personal information like the ovulation times, heart rate and other data that the users never meant to be shared. The apps also release the information without the users' knowledge so this prompted some officials to launch an investigation.
The trouble began after The Wall Street Journal released an investigative report on Friday, Feb. 22. It stated that it has discovered that Facebook receives personal data from many applications even if the person does not have a Facebook account.
The paper tested at least 70 of the most popular apps and it discovered that 11 of them transmitted sensitive details to Facebook. One of the named applications is the Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker that shares when a user is having her period while others are heart-monitoring, weight and home-buying apps.
For its side, Facebook said in a statement that it required apps to tell users what data is being shared with its use and it claimed to "prohibit app developers from sending us sensitive data."
Although Facebook's terms instruct app developers not to send such sensitive information, Facebook appeared to be accepting such data without telling the developers to stop. Developers are able to use such data to target their own users while on Facebook.
Facebook said in a statement via The Guardian that it requires apps to tell users what information is shared with Facebook and it ''prohibits app developers from sending us sensitive data.'' Although the social networking site's terms of usage have instructed the app owners and developers to refrain from sending sensitive data to them, it looks like Facebook is still accepting the information sent to them without warning the developers for the offense. Facebook is said to be in the process of removing all the information that has been sent to them by the problematic apps.
In response to this new controversy against Facebook, one of the government officials who commented on the issue was New York's, Governor Andrew Cuomo. He was irritated that his happened again and called the scheme an "outrageous abuse of privacy " and "clear invasion of the consumers' personal details.
The governor immediately ordered a swift investigation on the breach of users' privacy. Facebook vowed to cooperate on the probe that will be carried out by New York's Department of State and Department of Financial Services. "New Yorkers deserve to know that their personal information is safe, and we must hold internet companies, no matter how big, responsible for upholding the law and protecting the information of smartphone users," Governor Cuomo told the media.
