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TECHNOLOGY Wednesday 15 March 2017

Facebook says its data can’t be used for ‘surveillance’

BARBARA ORTUTAY ed only public posts, not
AP Technology Writer those that users restricted
NEW YORK (AP) — Face- to just friends or in some
book is prohibiting devel- other way. But such access
opers from using the mas- to Facebook data is still
sive amount of data it valuable to third parties be-
collects on users for surveil- cause it would be very dif-
lance. This includes using ficult to collect and comb
such data to monitor activ- through all the stuff on their
ists and protesters. own.
The company said Monday According to the ACLU,
that it is making an existing Facebook had provided
policy “explicit.” Facebook Geofeedia with access
says it has already taken to a data feed called the
action against developers “Topic Feed API,” which is
who created or marketed supposed to be a tool for
tools meant to be used for advertisers. But Geofee-
surveillance. It says it wants dia could use it to obtain
to “be sure everyone un- a feed of public Facebook
derstands the underlying posts that mentioned a spe-
policy and how to comply.” cific topic, place or event
Last fall, the American Civil — for example, “monitor
Liberties Union obtained re- hashtags used by activists
cords that Facebook and In this May 16, 2012, file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. and allies, or target activist
its Instagram service pro- Associated Press groups as ‘overt threats,’”
vided user data access to off access after finding out that developers — who get example, don’t use data Matt Cagle, attorney for
Geofeedia, which devel- about this, Facebook did access to user data from obtained from us to pro- the ACLU of Northern Cali-
ops a monitoring product not have a “public policy Facebook to create apps vide tools that are used for fornia, wrote last October.
marketed to law enforce- specifically prohibiting de- — should protect “the infor- surveillance.” Facebook terminated this
ment. The ACLU said at the velopers” from taking user mation you receive from us The ACLU report says the access nearly a month
time that while both Insta- data for surveillance. against unauthorized ac- data the companies pro- earlier after being notified
gram and Facebook cut The new prohibition states cess, use, or disclosure. For vided to Geofeedia includ- about it by the ACLU.q

Pandora starts on-demand

music subscription service

NEW YORK (AP) — Internet offering will compete with
radio company Pandora is Apple Music and Spotify,
launching an on-demand both of which have given
music service for $10 a the music-streaming pio-
month. neer a run for its money.
Pandora’s existing service Spotify has 50 million sub-
works more like radio. Peo- scribers, while Pandora had
ple listen to music on cus- about 4.4 million as of the
tomizable stations. end of 2016.
The premium service That’s because most peo-
launching this month will let ple listen to Pandora with-
users choose specific songs out paying; the company
or albums and will person- has 81 million total “active
alize recommendations listeners.”
based on people’s listening Until now, the Pandora sub-
habits. There is also an “of- scription mostly stripped
fline mode.” out ads — for $5 a month.q
The new Pandora Premium In this Oct. 23, 2015, file photo, Pandora is displayed above a post where it trades on the floor of
the New York Stock Exchange.
Associated Press