Facebook rejects New York Times accusations about data access.
The data scandal was first reported in March by the New York Times and London's Observe.
(Reuters)- Facebook has rejected allegations by the New York Times that it allowed Apple and other device manufacturers deep access to users' personal data, saying that such information is strictly controlled and largely subject to user consent.
The software mentioned by the newspaper was launched 10 years ago and was used by about 60 companies, including Amazon, Apple, Blackberry, HTC, Microsoft and Samsung, wrote Facebook's vice president of product partnerships, Ime Archibong, in a post on Sunday.
The Times reported that Facebook allowed companies to access users' friends' data without explicit consent, even after declaring it would stop sharing such information with outside parties.
According to the newspaper, some device manufacturers can retrieve personal information even from friends of users who believed they had prevented any sharing.
“Contrary to what the New York Times claims, information about friends, such as photos, was only accessible on devices when people made the decision to share their information with those friends,” said Ime Archibong.
Facebook has been under scrutiny from regulators and shareholders after the data of approximately 87 million users was shared with the now-defunct political data firm Cambridge Analytica.
The data scandal was first reported in March by the New York Times and London's Observe.
Archibong also said that these cases are "very different" from the use of data by third-party developers, as in the Cambiades case.
By Supantha Mukherjee