Apps like TripAdvisor or MyFitnessPal are sending data to Facebook without user consent

How careful are you about the apps you install and use? It seems that not only applications that already pose dangers would be jeopardizing the privacy of users We are referring, for example, to apps such as those that they control our sports performance, physical he alth or the appointments we have with other people.

It seems that there would be many other applications that would be transferring confidential information to Facebook without the express consent of the users.This is not said by rumors or conspiracy theory, but by a study by Privacy International, which has ended up determining that 20 of 34 popular applications analyzed are sharing sensitive information with Mark Zuckerberg's social network.

Among the names of these popular applications would be Kayak, MyFitnessPal, Skyscanner or TripAdvisor, four applications used by thousands and thousands of users who , without having given their consent, they would be putting private information on Facebook.

Analytical data that would reach Facebook's hands

Statistics are power and this is precisely the type of information that these applications would be transferring to a company like Facebook For example , according to the report, these applications could transfer to Facebook the Android ID of the users (a unique, personal and non-transferable code), in addition to many other data that would be transmitted afterwards.

In the case of an application like Kayak, for example, destined to search for flights and trips,the data that would be sent to Facebook would have to do directly with data on destinations, flight dates and other information of interest, such as if you are traveling with children.

Be careful, we would be talking about data that in principle would not directly identify a person. But experts agree that this data can be perfectly used to recognize someone indirectly, whether by examining which apps they have installed or if they regularly travel with the same person.

The applications could violate the European GDPR

The report details that the main problem of this situation is that applications could be violating the privacy rules of the European GDPR, which prevents – in principle – companies from collecting information without the consent of users, identifying them at the same time.

It seems that one of the problems is directly related to the development kit of Facebook itself, which did not offer the option of request the corresponding permits until this legislation was in force.

There is a solution, developed by Facebook itself, but it's not clear that app developers are integrating it into their services in the right way. This has made companies like Skyscanner, for example, realize that were unaware that they were sending data to Facebook without the express permission of users .

Facebook understands

In principle, Facebook has been sensitive to the report published by Privacy International. Its managers say that it is understandable and necessary that people have control over the data that is sent and their relationship with them.

They explain that changes will be introduced in the future, such as the ability to clear the history, but according to statements to the Financial Times, it seems that the developers have the option to disable the automatic data collection Yet many are not doing it…and if they don't change their practice, they may face heavy fines from the European Union. And it wouldn't be for less.