Denounces Tech Company’s Opacity; Highlights History Of Reactionary Policy Changes

(New York, NY) – Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Executive Director David Ibsen released the following statement today in response to Facebook’s admission it gave 61 companies “special access” to user data that the company said was previously restricted:

“Facebook’s disclosure of the so-called ‘special deals’ is yet another admission of guilt made only after its questionable policies and practices were made public. Disclosures after the tech giant has been caught with wrongdoing is not the kind of transparency policymakers, corporate advertisers, and consumers are looking for. These reactionary policy changes and Facebook’s troubled history of platform misuse – whether through the proliferation of fake news or rampant propagation of extremism – raise questions as to what other scandals or controversies remain undiscovered.”

For more than a decade, Facebook has faced criticism for the misuse of its platform on issues ranging from the publication of extreme content to user privacy and safety. Rather than taking preventative measures, Facebook has too often jumped to make policy changes after severe damage has already been done. CEP has documented instances in which Facebook has made express policy changes only following public accusations, a scandal or pressure from lawmakers.

To view the resource “Tracking Facebook’s Policy Changes” and see additional examples, please click here.

BACKGROUND

Facebook Has Disclosed That It Has 61 “Special Deals” In Place With Companies To Share User Data:

The Admission Came After News Reports Revealed That Facebook Had Previously Unknown “Customized Data-Sharing Deals.” “Facebook Inc. disclosed it gave dozens of companies special access to user data, detailing for the first time a spate of deals that contrasted with the social network’s previous public statements that it restricted personal information to outsiders in 2015.  The deals with app developers, device and software makers – described in a 747 page document released to Congress late on Friday – represent Facebook’s most granular explanation of exemptions that previously had been revealed by The Wall Street Journal and other news organizations … The disclosure follows a Journal article in June that reported Facebook struck customized data-sharing deals that gave select companies such as Nissan Motor Co. access to user records for their apps well after the point in 2015 when it said it walled off that information. Nissan is listed in Friday’s document.” (Georgia Wells, “Facebook Reveals Apps, Others That Got Special Access to User Data,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/1/18)

Disclosure Is Yet Another Example Of Facebook’s 10-Plus Year History Of Apologies & Inadequate Policies:

Immediately Following The Cambridge Analytica Scandal In Which 87 Million Users Had Their Data Improperly Shared, Facebook Issued Multiple Press Releases Detailing Policy Changes. “Facebook on Wednesday said that the data of up to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with a political consulting firm connected to President Trump during the 2016 election – a figure far higher than the estimate of 50 million that had been widely cited since the leak was reported last month … Facebook had not previously disclosed how many accounts had been harvested by Cambridge Analytica, the firm connected to the Trump campaign. It has also been reluctant to disclose how it was used by Russian-backed actors to influence the 2016 presidential election.” (Cecilia Kang & Sheera Frenkel, “Facebook Says Cambridge Analytica Harvested Data Of Up To 87 Million Users,” The New York Times, 4/4/18)

• Facebook On March 18: “As Mark Zuckerberg explained in his post, we are announcing some important steps for the future of our platform. These steps involve taking action on potential past abuse and putting stronger protections in place to prevent future abuse.” (Facebook, “Cracking Down On Platform Abuse,” Press Release, 3/21/18)
• Facebook On April 4: “Two weeks ago we promised to take a hard look at the information apps can use when you connect them to Facebook as well as other data practices. We expect to make more changes over the coming months – and will keep you updated on our progress.” (Facebook, “An Update On Our Plans To Restrict Data Access On Facebook,” Press Release, 4/4/18)
• Facebook On April 10: “Today, Facebook is launching the Data Abuse Bounty to reward people who report any misuse of data by app developers.” (Facebook, “Data Abuse Bounty: Facebook Now Rewards For Reports Of Data Abuse,” Press Release, 4/10/18)
• Facebook On May 1: “The past several weeks have made clear that people want more information about how Facebook works and the controls they have over their information. And today at F8 we’re sharing some of the first steps we’re taking to better protect people’s privacy.” (Facebook, “Getting Feedback On New Tools To Protect People’s Privacy,” Press Release, 5/1/18)
• Facebook On May 24: “Starting this week, we’re asking everyone on Facebook to review important information about privacy and how to control their experience. People have told us they want clearer explanations of what information we collect and how we use it.” (Facebook, “Pardon The Interruption: It’s About Your Privacy,” Press Release, 5/24/18)

In 2013, After Admitting To A Year-Long Data Breach That Exposed The Personal Information Of Six Million Users, Facebook Promised To “Work Doubly Hard To Make Sure Nothing Like This Happens Again.” “Facebook Inc has inadvertently exposed 6 million users’ phone numbers and email addresses to unauthorized viewers over the past year, the world’s largest social networking company disclosed late Friday … Facebook blamed the data leaks, which began in 2012, on a technical glitch in its massive archive of contact information collected from its 1.1 billion users worldwide. As a result of the glitch, Facebook users who downloaded contact data for their list of friends obtained additional information that they were not supposed to have … Facebook did not publicly acknowledge the bug until Friday afternoon, when it published an ‘important message’ on its blog explaining the issue. While the privacy breach was limited, ‘it’s still something we’re upset and embarrassed by, and we’ll work doubly hard to make sure nothing like this happens again,’ it added.” (Gerry Shih, “Facebook Admits Year-Long Data Breach Exposed 6 Million Users,” Reuters, 6/21/13)

Facebook First Issued An Apology On The Issue In 2007, When A Feature Tracked & Shared Users’ Online Activity Without Expressly Asking Them For Permission. “Facebook keeps tweaking its new Beacon advertising program, which tracks users’ actions on sites other than Facebook. The program ignited a petition from MoveOn.org Civic Action that has won the support of 50,000 Facebook users. Facebook introduced a new version of the Beacon alert box on Thursday that still lacks an easy way to avoid participating. The latest version of the box followed some earlier experiments. MoveOn.org supplied The Times with three versions of Beacon’s user notifications that have run since the program was announced Nov. 6.” (Louise Story, “The Evolution Of Facebook’s Beacon,” The New York Times, 11/29/07)