Oops, We Did it Again! Facebook Says 100 Software Developers Accessed Private User Information

Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, the director of developer platforms and programs, said that although the company found no evidence of abuse, it would ask its partners to delete any information they may have retained.

Facebook has revealed that as many as 100 software developers may have gained access to private user data within some groups on its website, including names and profile photos. The tech giant said it discovered that some app developers had retained access to group member information, despite the fact that the company introduced changes on its website last year.

Konstantinos Papamiltiadis said that Facebook is now reaching its partners to determine how many of them got access to the private data. The company said that it knows of 11 app developers who accessed information in the last 60 days, noting that it would ask the companies to delete the data and would conduct audits to verify that the developers have fulfilled Facebook’s request.

Facebook did not reveal how many users were affected by the leak.

In recent years, Facebook has been embroiled in several scandals and was ordered to pay five billion dollars over privacy violations. The company decided to restrict software developers’ access to user data following a report that the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had harvested the private information of 87 million users.

Commenting on the latest leak, the social media company said that it aims to maintain high standards of security.

"As we continue to work through this process we expect to find more examples of where we can improve, either through our products or changing how data is accessed. We are committed to this work and supporting the people on our platform", Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, the director of developer platforms and programs, said in a statement.