What’s a company to do with all that Facebook Data?
The District of Columbia sued Facebook today for sharing users’ personal data with consulting firm Cambridge Analytica before the 2016 election.
But that may be the least of the company’s troubles today.
A New York Times investigation has revealed that Facebook has been sharing WAY more of its users’ data with other companies than we realized. Partnerships with more than 150 companies gave Microsoft’s Bing access to the names of users’ friends — without their consent. Amazon got its hands on users’ names and contact info. And probably most galling is that Netflix, Spotify —and for some reason the Royal Bank of Canada — were given the ability to read users’ private messages. It’s upsetting to think about but it also makes one wonder: Why would those companies even want to do that?
Click the audio player above to hear the full story.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
