Facebook is sharing several changes to how third-party apps access data as the platform ups the estimate of users impacted by Cambridge Analytica.
After a third-party app mined and then sold user information, Facebook is cracking down on just what information those apps can use. Two weeks after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, Facebook shared several changes to that third-party app access and says additional adjustments are in store. The changes come with an updated count of around 87 million Facebook users affected by the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, a number that was originally at “more than” 50 million.
The changes eliminate access to some features entirely while modifying others. Search tools that allow you to type a phone number or email into the Facebook search bar and find the person associated with that information will be disabled entirely. Facebook says that, while the feature simplified searches with common names and language barriers, the same tool could also be abused to find a name to connect with a phone number or email.
Several other categories see reduced access. Adding a Facebook event to another app will no longer allow that app to access the guest list or posts on the event’s wall. Leaving info about the event intact allows apps to add the event to a calendar, for example, Facebook says.
For Facebook Groups, any app that wants to access group data will now require approval not just from an administrator, but Facebook too. Even when granted access, the names of the profile photos of the group members will be excluded from the data.
Apps that access information from Pages, which are often used for tasks like scheduling posts and responding to messages and comments, will need Facebook’s approval. The network says the apps need a variety of information to provide those tools, but in order to ensure that information is necessary, the network will approve any third-party app before allowing access to the Pages API first.
Requirements for apps using Facebook data as a login is also tightening, with personal details — including political views, relationship status, work history, and others — excluded from the data. Apps requesting to see other data, such as the posts likes and photos, will need to be approved by Facebook. The apps using Facebook Login will also be automatically removed after three months of inactivity on the app.
That call data that surprised Android users will remain an opt-in feature. Those logs will be deleted after one year and will use fewer details, eliminating the time of the call, Facebook says. The tool doesn’t monitor the content of texts or calls, Facebook says.
Instagram’s Platform API depreciation was already scheduled, but Facebook is moving up that timeline with a handful of changes effective immediately. The change eliminated the ability for apps to get information about follows, followers, relationships, comments and other data.
