Facebook accused of hawking users' smartphone data to telecoms and phone makers

Around 100 companies in 50 countries are currently getting user data from Facebook

Mobile carriers and cellphone manufacturing companies are watching smartphone users' activities via data provided by Facebook.

That's according to a report published in The Intercept, based on a review of a confidential Facebook document and information received from sources familiar with the matter.

The report claims that Facebook 'courts' carriers and phone makers by offering them data collected directly from smartphones via the Facebook app.

There are around 100 companies in 50 countries that are currently getting users' data from Facebook. The data that Facebook pulls includes technical details about smartphones, cellular and WiFi networks used by Facebook users, the locations visited, their social groups and even their interests.

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Facebook collects the data not only from its main iOS and Android apps, but also from Messenger and Instragram apps.

All the data is then provided to selected partners to let them evaluate where they stand against their competitors in the market and to enable them serve targeted ads to consumers.

Last year, Facebook announced "Actionable Insights" (corporate data-sharing programme) to address the issue of weak cellular data connections in various parts of the world.

Facebook said the programme also aims to enable "better business decisions" through "analytics tools," which according to The Intercept, actually meant helping selected companies to buy more tightly targeted ads by providing them users personal data.

Facebook collects the data not only from its iOS and Android apps, but also from Messenger and Instragram apps

A source familiar with the matter told The Intercept that the social networking giant is offering the data to telecoms and smartphone makers supposedly free of charge in order to strengthen its advertising relationships with them.

The report by The Intercept further reveals that the Facebook mobile app pulls data for eight different categories, including location, demographics, use of video, use of mobile networks and WiFi, device details, and user's interests. The app also collects Information for children as young as 13.

When contacted, a Facebook spokesperson told The Intercept that the Actionable Insights programme offers data useful to third-party advertisers in smartphone and telecommunication industries. The spokesperson also highlighted that no data is pulled through this programme that wasn't already being collected from users' devices.

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