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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Friday 7 december 2018

Documents show Facebook used user data as competitive weapon

By DANICA KIRKA, FRANK 2016 Trump campaign, ex-
BAJAK and BARBARA OR- ploited lax Facebook data-
TUTAY sharing policies to obtain
Associated Press data on millions of users
Internal Facebook docu- without their consent.
ments released by a U.K. Facebook executives
parliamentary committee clearly understand the ma-
offer the clearest evidence terial is valuable. An un-
yet that the social network signed memo setting pol-
has used its enormous trove icy for a system upgrade
of user data as a competi- known as "Platform 3.0" laid
tive weapon, often in ways out a case for shutting out
designed to keep its users in any app developer who
the dark. could be construed as a
Parliament's media com- competitor.
mittee accused Facebook "There are a small number
on Wednesday of cutting of developers whom no
special deals with some amount of sharing to FB or
app developers to give monetary value can jus-
them more access to data, tify giving them access to
while icing out others that it Platform," the memo said.
viewed as potential rivals. "These developers do not
In other documents, com- want to participate in the
pany executives discussed ecosystem we have cre-
how they were keeping the In this May 1, 2018, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes the keynote speech at ated, but rather build their
company's collection and F8, Facebook's developer conference in San Jose, Calif. own ecosystem at the ex-
exploitation of user data Associated Press pense of our users, other
from its users. That included developers and, of course,
quietly collecting the call "Like any business, we had "friends" even after the tech important issues, particu- us. That is something that
records and text messages many internal conversa- giant announced changes larly around the use of the we will not allow."
of users of phones that run tions about the various in 2015 to end the practice. data of Facebook users. The documents also sug-
on Google's Android oper- ways we could build a sus- "Facebook have clearly "The idea of linking access gest Facebook would jeal-
ating system without asking tainable business model for entered into whitelisting to friends' data to the finan- ously safeguard its interests.
their permission. our platform," the compa- agreements with certain cial value of the develop- In a January 2013 email
The U.K. committee re- ny said in a statement. "But companies, which meant ers' relationship with Face- exchange, Zuckerberg
leased more than 200 the facts are clear: We've that after the platform book is a recurring feature signed off on cutting ac-
pages of documents on never sold people's data." changes in 2014/15 they of the documents," Collins cess to Twitter's Vine video-
the tech giant's internal dis- In a Facebook post , com- maintained full access to said. producing app, which had
cussions about the value of pany CEO Mark Zucker- friends data," the commit- The committee's summary allowed users to find their
users' personal information. berg sought to put the tee said in a statement. "It said Facebook collected friends on Vine by pulling in
While they mostly cover documents in context. "Of is not clear that there was data about the mobile data from Facebook.
the period between 2012 course, we don't let ev- any user consent for this, apps its users favored to "Unless anyone raises ob-
and 2015 —the first three eryone develop on our nor how Facebook de- help it decide which com- jections," Facebook Vice
years after Facebook went platform," he wrote. "We cided which companies panies to acquire. It also President Justin Osofsky
public — they offer a rare blocked a lot of sketchy should be whitelisted or said Facebook knew that wrote, the company would
glimpse into the company's apps. We also didn't al- not." an update to its Android cut Vine's access to users'
inner workings and the ex- low developers to use our The documents "raise im- mobile app phone system friend networks. "We're pre-
tent to which it used peo- platform to replicate our portant questions about — which allowed the Face- pared reactive PR."
ple's data to make money functionality or grow their how Facebook treats users' book app to hoover up user "Yup, go for it," Zuckerberg
while publicly vowing to services virally in a way that data, their policies for work- call logs and text messages replied.
protect their privacy. creates little value for peo- ing with app developers, — would be controversial. The documents also sug-
The company's critics said ple on Facebook." and how they exercise their "To mitigate any bad PR, gest robust internal discus-
the new revelations rein- The U.K. committee seized dominant position in the Facebook planned to sions about linking data to
forced their concerns over the documents from app social media market," said make it as hard as possible revenue.
what users actually know developer Six4Three, maker committee chair Damian for users to know that this "There's a big question on
about how Facebook of a now-defunct bikini-pic- Collins. "We don't feel we was one of the underlying where we get the revenue
treats their data. ture search app. Six4Three have had straight answers features of the upgrade from," Zuckerberg said in
"These kinds of schemes acquired the files as part of from Facebook on these of their app," the summary one email. "Do we make
are exactly why compa- a U.S. lawsuit that accuses important issues, which is said. it easy for (developers) to
nies must be required to Facebook of deceptive, why we are releasing the In a post Wednesday, use our payments/ad net-
disclose exactly how they anti-competitive business documents." Facebook continued to work but not require them?
are collecting and sharing practices. The documents The cache includes emails stand by its stance that the Do we require them? Do
our data, with stiff penal- remain under court seal in from Zuckerberg and other feature was "is opt in for we just charge a (revenue)
ties for companies that lie the U.S. key members of his staff. users and we ask for peo- share directly and let (de-
about it," Sen. Ron Wyden, In a summary of key issues The emails show Zucker- ple's permission before en- velopers) who use them
an Oregon Democrat, said pertaining to the docu- berg and other executives abling." get a credit against what
in a statement. ments, the committee said scheming to leverage user The Android data collection they owe us? It's not at all
Facebook called the doc- Facebook "whitelisted," or data to favor compa- practice was unearthed clear to me here that we
uments misleading and made exceptions for com- nies not considered to be in April as the Cambridge have a model that will ac-
said the information they panies such as Airbnb and threats and to identify po- Analytica scandal roiled tually make us the revenue
contain is "only part of the Netflix, that gave them tential acquisitions. Facebook. The data min- we want at scale."q
story." continued access to users' Collins said the emails raise ing firm, employed by the