Facebook allowed companies to access certain types of user data, despite claiming to have ended those partnerships in 2015: Report

Facebook is in hot water once again, after it was revealed Friday the social media giant continued to give certain advertisers access to specific types of user data, despite the company declaring it had ended such partnerships in 2015.

According to a new Wall Street Journal report, the agreements, known internally as “whitelists,” gave select companies access to information about users’ friends, including their phone numbers and details about how closely the friends interacted, also known as the “friend link.”

The whitelist agreements were made with companies who advertise on Facebook, such as the Royal Bank of Canada and Nissan Motor Co. Other companies involved in similar deals also advertised on the social media platform or served a valuable purpose for other reasons, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Facebook officials said it struck these deals as a way to enhance user experience and test new features.

News of these agreements comes just a few days after it was revealed Facebook had data sharing partnerships with at least 60 device makers, including a Chinese firm which had previously been deemed a threat to U.S. national security. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for an investigation into the company’s practices since the news broke.

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