Facebook Defends Giving Device-Makers Access To Users' Data For Years

Facebook Defends Giving Device-Makers Access To Users' Data For Years Enlarge this image toggle caption Regis Duvignau/Reuters Regis Duvignau/Reuters Updated at 7:35 p.m. Sponsor Message Facebook denies that claim, issuing a statement saying that information from users' contacts "was only accessible on devices when people made a decision to share their information with those friends." The new accusations center on Facebook's use of special APIs — application programming interfaces — that it created to allow users' data and profile information to be integrated into devices. It also gathered "identifying information for nearly 295,000 Facebook users" by retrieving data on second-degree contacts, the newspaper said. In response, Facebook said, "Contrary to claims by the New York Times, friends' information, like photos, was only accessible on devices when people made a decision to share their information with those friends."