Facebook shared user data with 52 technology companies | Social networks

Companies that have access to data through the Facebook partnership include Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, Qualcomm, Mozilla, Dell, LG, Nokia, Sony, Acer, HP, Opera and Yahoo. In addition, Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei, Lenovo, Oppo and Alcatel have also been granted approval, which is of greater concern to US researchers, as some of these brands may have ties to the Chinese government.

According to Facebook, the goal of partnerships with software and hardware manufacturers, as well as with mobile phone companies and chip makers would be to help integrate services in different devices, operating systems and products.

The cooperation would also be a way to improve the user experience, allowing the creation of versions of the application, the construction of hubs to aggregate messages or the synchronization of data for the download of photos and the integration of contacts, for example.

Of the 52 companies, 38 had already closed partnerships, according to Mark Zuckerberg's company. By the end of July, it is planned to finalize the contract of seven other manufacturers. However, some brands must maintain agreement with Facebook. They are: Tobii, Amazon and Apple.

The first is an accessibility software developer for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The application allows them to use Facebook through an eye keypad. Already the maintenance with Amazon and Apple was not detailed, without also specifying what companies do with the data.

Three other partnerships that need to be maintained involve Mozilla, Opera and Alibaba. For them, the social network explains that it is a way for people to continue to receive notifications in their browsers, but without the companies having access to user data.

This was the second set of Facebook responses sent to the US government. The first one had 500 pages and was delivered at the beginning of June. Although the file contains a large amount of information, some questions asked to the social network have not received any response, such as the number of users who have read the terms of use or the requests from immigration and customs agencies.

The controversy over the use of Facebook user information began in March 2018, when it was revealed that data from more than 50 million people would have been disclosed to the Cambridge badytica marketing company. The material, which traced the psychological profiles of voters in the United States, would have been used for political propaganda.