Facebook prohibit to use its data for observation tools

Facebook prohibit to use its data for observation tools

Heavily pushed by the ACLU, Facebook on Monday said it has updated its policies to clearly prohibit developers from using its data for surveillance tools.

“Today we are adding language to our Facebook and Instagram platform policies to more clearly explain that developers cannot ‘use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance,'” Rob Sherman, Facebook’s deputy chief privacy officer, wrote down in a post on the company’s privacy page.

An ACLU statement released in October found that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram provided News feeds of user data to a social-media monitoring program used by police to track racially charged protests in Oakland, Calif., and Baltimore. The group called on the companies to make changes that make certain this type of situation doesn’t happen yet again.

Those groups thanked Facebook for its efforts, noticing that the work carries on.

“We applaud this first step from Facebook and encourage all technology companies to stand on the side of history that supports human rights and dignity,” Malkia Cyril, executive director and founder of the Center for Media Justice, said in a statement.