Inform­ation collec­ted by the apps includ­es detail­s on body weight, pregna­ncy status, ovulat­ion and home shoppi­ngSAN FRANCISCO: A news report on Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users. The Wall Street Journal report based on its own in-house tests showed that intimate data could be shared with Facebook using a tool designed to help target ads, even if app users were not members of the leading social network. Information collected by apps included personal details regarding body weight, pregnancy status, ovulation, and home shopping, according to the Journal. Facebook said data sharing across apps on iPhones or Android-powered devices is standard industry practice when it comes to how mobile advertising works. According to the report, California-based Facebook said that some of the shared data pinpointed appeared to violate business terms that direct app makers not to send the social network health, financial “or other categories of sensitive information.”App developers identified in the report were to get word from Facebook to stop sending data deemed sensitive, according to the Journal.

Source: The Express Tribune February 22, 2019 18:56 UTC