The Verge breaks down the latest story from the New York Times about Facebook’s data sharing agreements with Microsoft, Amazon Spotify and others.
Facebook gave Spotify and Netflix access to users’ private messages
I find it helpful to read the allegations in the Times’ story chronologically, starting with the integration deals, continuing with the one-off agreements, and ending with instant personalization. Do so and you read a story of a company that, after some early success growing its user base by making broad data-sharing agreements with one set of companies — OEMs — it grew more confident, and proceeded to give away more and more, often with few disclosures to users. By the time “Instant personalization” arrived, it was widely panned, and never met Facebook’s hopes for it. Shortly after it was wound down, Facebook would take action against Cambridge Analytica, and once again began placing meaningful limitations on its API.Then basically nothing happened for three years!
Whatever is happening, it’s happening … now. It has been only two months since the largest data breach in Facebook’s history. It has been only five days since the last time Facebook announced a significant data leak.
On and on we go. The more we hear about how Facebook treats our data — and us — the more bored and relaxed we seem to be about it all. I can’t see this changing.
Update
From Facebook: Facts About Facebook’s Messaging Partnerships
From Ars Technica: Facebook “partner” arrangements: Are they as bad as they look?
I still think Facebook has transparency and trust issues though…
