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Facebook is limiting developers' access to account data — here's how that will impact them (FB)
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Facebook will limit developer access to user data in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the company announced on Wednesday.
According to reports, Aleksandr Kogan, a Cambridge University researcher, created an app that was used by about 300,000 Facebook users, who gave the app permission to access data on themselves and their friends, exposing a network of 50 million people.
Cambridge Analytica harvested the personal data of these users without their consent, which the Trump campaign then used to drive “psychographic” targeting of the American electorate. Cambridge Analytica was able to do this because Facebook’s platform previously enabled apps to gain access not just from a user’s data, but also that user's friends' data. The steps Facebook will take in protecting account data focus on fixing previous problems, and introducing stronger protections and tools to prevent future abuse of user data.
Here’s an overview of how Facebook plans to limit developers’ access to user information and prevent future data abuse on the platform.
Investigate the platform and bring awareness to data misuse. Facebook is planning on conducting a full audit of any app that had access to user data prior to the platform change in 2014 that aimed to limit data access. The social giant will also inform users affected by apps that have abused their data, and remove the apps that have done so.
Restrict developers’ access to data. A third-party app will now only have access to a user’s name, profile photo, and email address when the user signs in to the app via Facebook. For any additional user information, developers will have to be granted permission from Facebook to access. Facebook will also cut off an app's access to account data after three months without app activity.
Help keep users aware of who has access to their data. Facebook plans to place a tool at the top of the News Feed to provide users with a way to disable apps they’ve previously granted access to their data.
Reward users who find vulnerabilities. Additionally, the company will expand thebug bounty program to include the abuse of data in third-party apps.
The new privacy changes Facebook outlined will significantly impact third-party developers on the platform. The added data access restrictions could hinder the development of creative Facebook apps because they're largely reliant on account data, according to Marketingdive. It could also impact the speed at which new content is created since developers will have to wait for Facebook to grant them access, according to developer statements to The Economic Times.
Enhancing the privacy and security on Facebook’s platform is important because consumers are highly concerned with access to personal and transaction data. The lack of privacy features and the misuse of information on Facebook has hindered use of the platform. Among consumers who don’t use Facebook, 57% say its because they don’t trust the platform, 49% say Facebook invades their privacy, and 31% say the platform requires too much information, according to The Verge. Facebook’s daily active user base in the US and Canada fell for the first time ever in Q4 2017, declining to 184 million from 185 million in the previous quarter. The additional layer of privacy and security could help the social network retain users by making them feel more comfortable using the platform.
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