Multiple iOS apps are reportedly sharing sensitive data with Facebook (updated)

The Wall Street Journal found that apps which can help track personal information such as body weight, menstrual cycles and pregnancy are sending such details to Facebook.

The apps that were found to share personal data include Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, BetterMe: Weight Loss Workouts, Breethe, Realtor.com and Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor. The report suggests none of these apps had an option for users to prevent them from sharing personal data with Facebook, nor do they necessarily make it clear to people their data is making its way to Facebook's servers.The publication was only able to specifically decipher the types of data that iOS apps send Facebook, but a third-party test determined at least one Android fitness app shares weight and height data too.

While the data is apparently anonymized in some cases, there are sometimes markers that could let Facebook match some of it to users.

The company told the WSJ developers have to make it clear to users what data they're handing Facebook, and that some of the reported information-sharing practices seem to violate its terms.

Facebook said it will force the apps mentioned in the report to stop sharing sensitive data and take action against developers if they don't comply. It also claimed it doesn't use sensitive data captured in custom app events to personalize products like ads and the News Feed, and it automatically deletes some types of intimate data it receives, including social security numbers.

Original article