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Topic: Software Development

Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

Summary: Facebook has revealed that a data broker has been buying identifying Facebook user information from app developers

Steven Musil

By Steven Musil |

Facebook has revealed that a data broker has been buying identifying Facebook user information from app developers, and as a result the social-networking powerhouse has placed some developers on a six-month suspension.

The announcement, which Facebook made Friday afternoon on its developer blog, comes on the heels of the revelation that many popular Facebook apps were transmitting user IDs--which can be used to look up a users' names and, in some cases, the names of the app user's friends--to at least 25 advertising and data firms.

Facebook did not identify the data broker that was purchasing user information but did say it had reached an agreement with Rapleaf, a San Francisco-based data aggregation company that was previously identified as receiving some user information. Facebook said that Rapleaf has agreed to delete all user ID information in its possession and agreed not to conduct any further activities on the social network. The blog post did not indicate whether Rapleaf was the broker involved in the sale of user information, and Rapleaf representatives did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

For more on this story, read Facebook app developers sold user info on CNET News.

Topics: Software Development, Browser, Social Enterprise

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31 comments
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  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    Only six months? ?
    philgiesbrecht
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

      No kidding. Isn't this something you should be fired over?
      mdominik13
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

        @mdominik13

        Facebook couldn't care less. They're not "punishing" anyone for selling the data, it's punishment for getting caught. This will give them a 6-month hiatus during which they can tighten up their code so it (getting caught) doesn't happen again, and if they do a good job, they'll get retro pay. If they get caught again, it'll be an 8-month suspension the next time.
        1DaveN
        Reply Vote

      • App developers are third parties..

        App developers are facebook users, not employees. Anyone can become an app developer. You've got to agree to the privacy stuff when you sign up.

        Third party apps are important btw, just in this case the app developers were creating apps that share information that is against the terms and conditions.
        Twigmon
        Reply Vote

  • facebook vs third parties

    third parties (some) :sell personal information.
    Facebook :sell personal information.

    So, Facebook is trying to push some monopolist measure
    magallanes
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    They should have been fired.
    netmail4rich-zdnet@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

      @netmail4rich-zdnet@...
      Hard to fire someone who was never an employee to begin with.

      These were 3rd party developers (ie. Facebook users) who developed applications (ie. Farmville) to share with other Facebook users.

      Facebook has suspended their developer access (ie temporarily banned the users from being allowed to log in to the devleoper portal) for 6 months, during which time they cannot submit any new apps to other Facebook users.
      lfmorrison
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    It's s slap on the wrist because Facebook wants to grow, not discourage useage among the commercial enterprise business. Facebook doesn't care about users, just their image. They are all crooks in the long run, especially the young billionaire owners.
    davidde@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    I have never been a person who believes in conspiracy but I warned and saw this coming a year ago (that's why I deleted my FaceBook early this year. The damage is done. So much profiling has been done with all this data collection that evil-doers can extrapolate very personal information from this. I would not be surprised if they could even guess you social security number just by you playing a bunch of games and always gravitating (subconsciously) to certain numbers and methods. What you don't know will hurt you....one day. All this just to know what your friend is up to??
    Remmik
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    What was it on the old Cheech and Chong album. Bailiff, whack his pee pee.

    I agree with the previous posters in that their Facebook privileges should after this be history.

    And for the data aggregator. It's time for a nice law suit. Provided Facebook will share their personal info.
    benyahuda
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    There serious about privacy now, dontcha think?

    :)
    aaaa123354
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    Hard to remember a story that had such unanimity in comments. Here's one more: the developers who SOLD IDs should have been fired, and yes Facebook should sue the data broker who succeeded in buying information they knew they should not have access to.
    JMS37
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    I'm assuming the "developers" weren't employees of facebook, but a good reporter would have pointed that out.
    john@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

      @john@... yes john they were "app developers" for Fb...otherwise they could not have been suspended by them if they were not .
      WareHouse13
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

        @WareHouse13
        NO, they're 3rd party app developers i.e. annoying farmville games. These 3rd party app developers work for companies that actually generate revenue for FB, hence only a suspension or a slap in the wrist. If they were FB employees they would've been fired, that's a given.
        acapacio@...
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

        @WareHouse13
        No they were not FB employees, they were small 3rd party application developers. As per: http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2010/11/01/facebook-suspends-developers-over-selling-user-ids

        "Palo Alto, Calif. - Facebook has announced that it found some application developers have sold data on Facebook users to a data broker, prompting a six-month suspension for several companies. Facebook did not name any of the companies involved, but said the suspensions will affect less than a dozen, mostly small developers ...[none of which are in the top 10 applications on Facebook Platform.]...

        "While we determined that no private user data was sold and confirmed that transfer of these UIDs did not give access to any private data, this violation of our policy is something we take seriously," the company wrote in a blog post.

        "As such, we are taking action against these developers by instituting a 6-month full moratorium on their access to Facebook communication channels, and we will require these developers to submit their data practices to an audit in the future to confirm that they are in compliance with our policies."
        rezcowgirl
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    NOBODY sells user information without knowing what they are doing. Why does FACEBOOK think they can trust these developers with our personal information again in six months? They should be fired and never allowed access to user information again. This decision does not inspire confidence...
    DenverFan
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    My ultra solution before the fact has been stay off facebook !

    I have given myself a pat on the back for my wait-and-see
    legraham
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    Wonder why they don't give us THEIR names? Funny they suspend the app developers, but don't mention which ones. Why protect them but not us? 6 months suspension? Like that will mean anything to them, they will just make up the revenue lost on the next app.
    The rich get richer and the poor get screwed...
    LadyzGuy
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Facebook suspends app developers who sold user info

    Facebook itself has sold Facebook users' personal photos to companies and advertising firms who then used them in their commercials.
    Vierotchka
    Reply Vote
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