NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is prohibiting developers from using the massive amount of data it collects on users for surveillance. This includes using such data to monitor activists and protesters.
The company said Monday that it is making an existing policy “explicit.” Facebook said it has already taken action against developers who created or marketed tools meant to be used for surveillance. It said it wants to “be sure everyone understands the underlying policy and how to comply.”
Last fall, the American Civil Liberties Union obtained records that Facebook and its Instagram service provided user data access to Geofeedia, which develops a monitoring product marketed to law enforcement. The ACLU said at the time that while both Instagram and Facebook cut off access after finding out about this, Facebook did not have a “public policy specifically prohibiting developers” from taking user data for surveillance.
The new prohibition states that developers — who get access from Facebook to user data to create apps — should protect “the information you receive from us against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, don’t use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance.”
