Earlier this week, it was revealed that Facebook had given permission to major tech companies to access its user data. Now it turns out that not only Apple, Amazon and Blackberry had the social networking platform's approval to access data, but also four other Chinese companies.
Apple CEO Tim Cook insisted that his company had not received any personal data. What Apple did do was add the ability to share material like photos.
Facebook has admitted to data-sharing partnerships with at least four Chinese technology companies, including Huawei, which has been labeled a national security risk by US officials.
The other Chinese companies – Lenovo, OPPO and TCL Corp – are among 60 companies worldwide that were given access to user data after signing partnership agreements to create a better experience for Facebook users on their devices.
Those agreements date back to 2010 and are still in effect. However, Facebook representatives said in an interview that the company will end the agreement with Huawei by the end of this week. It will soon end its other three partnerships with Chinese companies.
Facebook officials also confirmed that the Chinese companies were given similar access to that given to BlackBerry, meaning they had access to detailed information about both device users and their friends, including their religious and political beliefs, relationship status, employment, and information about their educational level.
Facebook has claimed that the data it shared with Huawei remained stored on phones, not on the company's servers. But the Information Commissioner, who doesn't seem too convinced, plans to investigate whether Facebook ensured that user information wasn't sent to Chinese routers.
