Senators are pressing Facebook for information on partnerships between the social media giant and mobile device manufacturers that allegedly allowed the third-party companies to access users’ personal data, sometimes without explicit permission.

Facebook permitted some 60 companies to obtain data from users’ friends, including those who believe they did not consent to such sharing, according to a report in the New York Times. The company defended its decision to allow that data to be shared, and said the use of any personal information was solely for the purpose of recreating a “Facebook-like” experience on the other operating systems. It also said such partnerships were being phased out.