The fact that Facebook shares personal data with third party companies in ways that users are completely unaware of is not new. But the latest examples are particularly rich.
The social network has had multiple data-sharing partnerships with dozens of device makers, including Samsung and Apple, for years now. These would seem to violate its 2011 agreement with the Federal Trade Commission in which it promised not to share users’ personal data with outside partners.
Perhaps most egregious is this week’s revelation that Facebook partnered with at least four Chinese electronics groups, including Huawei, a telecoms company that has close ties to Beijing and has been deemed a national security threat by US intelligence officials.