Facebook has admitted that it gave dozens of companies access to its users’ data after saying it had restricted access to such data back in 2015, the latest wrinkle in a firestorm over how the social network manages user information.
In news first reported by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook handed a 747-page document to U.S. lawmakers released late Friday. In that cache of information, Facebook said it granted 61 companies like AOL, Nike, UPS and dating app Hinge a “one-time” six-month extension to comply with its policy changes on user data. In addition, there are at least five other firms that may have accessed limited data, due to access they were granted as part of a Facebook experiment, the company added.
In 2015, Facebook said it had cut off developer access to its users’ data and their friends.
.The document’s revelations comes months after it was revealed that 87 million Facebook profiles were harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a political analytics firm, without people’s express consent.
This led to public outcry for lawmakers to hold Facebook accountable for its data-management practices. It also pushed down Facebook’s stock by nearly 20 percent in March, but it has since recovered.
Facebook did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for additional comment.
