General

US Probing Facebook Data Deals With Tech Firms: Report

Author : NewsGram Desk

Facebook is facing criminal investigation in the US for the data deals it had entered into with smartphone makers and other technology giants, The New York Times reported.

A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed records from at least two smartphone makers that had entered into partnerships with the social media giant, said the report on Wednesday citing unnamed sources.

These two companies were among more than 150, including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Sony, that had cut sharing deals with Facebook, gaining broad access to the personal information of millions of its users.

Facebook earlier reportedly admitted that it had shared users' data with embattled Chinese company Huawei along with three other China-based smartphone makers Lenovo, OPPO and TCL.

Facebook, social media. Pixabay

These agreements allowed the companies to see users' friends, contact information and other data, sometimes without consent.

Facebook has phased out most of the partnerships over the past two years, The New York Times report said.

"We are cooperating with investigators and take those probes seriously," a Facebook spokesman was quoted as saying in a statement.

"We've provided public testimony, answered questions and pledged that we will continue to do so." (IANS)

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube and WhatsApp

Download our app on Play Store

Israel has voted, but what comes next? Dissecting a messy ballot and coalition‑building process

The upside of untidiness: why a little mess can be good for your home

“Peak Greenwashing”: Two Bills in Congress Endorse Misleading Recycling Claims

42 years since 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Understanding the causes, horrors and aftermath of the incident that Rajiv Gandhi called a “little” tremor 

When destiny had other plans for Madhubala and Dilip Kumar, but their love lasted forever; her sister reveals they are buried just metres apart