Facebook shared data with Chinese phone makers, including Huawei: Report
A media report has claimed that Facebook has data-sharing pacts with at least four Chinese companies, including Huawei. Facebook has said the agreements with the Chinese companies allowed them access similar to what was offered to BlackBerry, which could retrieve detailed information on both device users and all of their friends including religious and political leanings, work and education history, and relationship status.
Other companies include Lenovo, Oppo, and TCL
The agreements date back to 2010, but the Huawei deal would end by the weekend, Facebook said. Facebook has data-sharing partnerships with Huawei, Lenovo, Oppo, and TCL. "The deals were part of an effort to push more mobile users onto the social network starting in 2007 before stand-alone Facebook apps worked well on phones," the New York Times said.
American lawmaker says the news raises legitimate concerns
"The news raises legitimate concerns, and I look forward to learning more about how Facebook ensured that their users' information was not sent to Chinese servers," Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said. Warner said concerns about Huawei aren't new. In 2012, a report on the close relationships between the Chinese Communist Party and Huawei makers was released.
Zuckerberg pressed by lawmakers, seeking details
Senators John Thune and Bill Nelson, serving as the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation respectively, pressed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for answers following the news. The Senators, in a letter to Zuckerberg, sought details about his congressional testimony related to user control of personal information, efforts by Facebook to ensure business partner compliance with privacy policies.
Huawei, ZTE phones banned from US military
According to an advisory last month, personnel on US military bases can no longer buy phones and other gear manufactured by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE, after the Pentagon said the devices pose an "unacceptable" security risk. "Huawei and ZTE devices may pose an unacceptable risk to (military) personnel, information, and mission," Pentagon spokesman Major Dave Eastburn had said last month.
