Facebook suspends tens of thousands of apps after data probe

Facebook said Friday it has suspended “tens of thousands” of apps that may have mishandled users’ personal data, sparking fresh concerns about the tech giant’s privacy practices and exposing it to another potential standoff with U.S. regulators.

The suspended apps vastly outnumber the hundreds that Facebook previously said it had taken action against after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. But the tech company gave little detail about what the apps had done wrong, or even the names of the apps, saying only they were associated with about 400 developers and had been targeted for a “variety of reasons.”

The suspensions come 18 months after Facebook began investigating the security of people’s data when accessed by developers and other partners. Facebook said in a blog post that it had investigated millions of apps and targeted those that had access to “large amounts of information” or had the “potential to abuse” its policies. The company said some of the apps were banned for inappropriately sharing users’ data, the same violation of policy that led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It added that its investigation isn’t yet complete.

But the apps Facebook found as part of its internal probe may have posed a greater threat to users than the company portrayed.

Facebook “identified approximately 10,000 applications that may also have misappropriated and/or misused consumers’ personal data,” according to court documents also unveiled Friday from Massachusetts’ attorney general, which has been probing Facebook’s data-collection practices for months. The court filings say 6,000 apps had a “large number of installing users” and 2,000 exhibited behaviors that “may suggest data misuse.”

The new revelations add to Facebook’s mounting woes, illustrating the company’s efforts to improve its privacy practices remain a work in progress, compounding users’ fears about the tech giant. Facebook’s limited disclosures also are likely to rankle regulators.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said, “This wasn’t some accident. Facebook put up a neon sign that said ‘Free Private Data,’ and let app developers have their fill of Americans’ personal info. The FTC needs to hold Mark Zuckerberg personally responsible.”

Some of the apps were suspended before they had become available to mainstream users.