New York Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered state officials to launch a probe into Facebook’s information-tracking practices.
The Democratic governor’s move follows a Wall Street Journal report showing that based on a series of tests conducted on mobile devices with the Facebook app downloaded, the social media giant instantaneously reads and records a wide range of information given to other apps on the same device.
“The recent report that Facebook is accessing far more personal information of smartphone users than previously reported, including health and other sensitive data, represents an invasion of privacy and breach of consumer trust,” Cuomo said in a statement.
The New York governor directed the state’s Department of State and Department of Financial Services to conduct its own independent investigations regarding unauthorized data-sharing between Facebook and other third-party apps.
Facebook has already become staple of connectivity in the mobile space. Many of the world’s most popular apps are synced directly with Facebook, ranging from “log in with Facebook” options to the ability to seamlessly share posts from one platform, such as Twitter or Instagram, straight onto Facebook. But in order for any of that happen, users must explicitly consent — usually to both the app in use and Facebook — sharing information between the two.
Over 70 apps were used in the Wall Street Journal’s test, varying in categories but all of them managing sensitive personal information inputted by the user.
