There have been a lot of calls by government agencies, consumer groups, and individual users for Facebook to better control the information it provides to third parties. Now, it is taking another step.
As reported by Deepa Seetharaman and Elizabeth Dwoskin for the Wall Street Journal:
“Facebook’s restrictions on its user data, which were announced last year and put into effect in May, are rippling through academia, business, and presidential politics. Dozens of startups that had been using Facebook data have shut down, been acquired, or overhauled their businesses. Political consultants are racing to find new ways to tap voters’ social connections ahead of the 2016 presidential election.”
“’Facebook giveth and Facebook taketh away,’ said Nick Soman, who collected the locations of Facebook users’ friends to enhance his anonymous-chat app, Reveal. He later sold the app to music service Rhapsody International Inc. Mr. Soman said he admires Facebook, but learned a lesson about relying on third parties for a key component of his app.”
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