Facebook Shares User Data a 'Million Different Ways'
*By Britt Terrell*
Facebook may have a very different understanding of its users' privacy concerns than the millions of people whose personal information was shared with dozens of device makers as part of the social media company's efforts to spread its network.
"I think a lot of people have entered into agreements with Facebook without fully understanding the complete context of how this data can be used," said Damon Beres, executive editor at Mashable. "Facebook may say that someone signed their data rights away 10 years ago, but I don't think that anyone had the level of awareness about these privacy concerns that we have now."
[The New York Times reported](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/03/technology/facebook-device-partners-users-friends-data.html) that Facebook shared users' personal data ー and the data of those users' friends ー with dozens of device makers over the last decade. The revelation that Facebook had for years shared this information raised new privacy concerns as the company was facing greater scrutiny stemming from the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
"I think it goes to show that Facebook has permeated a lot of how we use our devices without us really thinking about it," Beres said Monday in an interview with Cheddar. "So, these problems kind of keep springing up as people have more awareness of data privacy concerns."
In response to The Times's report, Facebook's vice president of product partnerships wrote [a blog post](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/06/why-we-disagree-with-the-nyt/) that said the revelations in the latest article are different from "past concerns about the controls over Facebook information shared with third-party app developers." That's what happened with Cambridge Analytica, a political research firm that gained access to the private data of 87 million Facebook users via a third-party app.
There were no apps a decade ago when Facebook was trying to get its network into the hands of mobile users, according to Ime Archibong, the Facebook VP, so the company relied on partnerships with device makers, including Amazon, Apple, Blackberry, HTC, Microsoft, and Samsung.
"All these partnerships were built on a common interest — the desire for people to be able to use Facebook whatever their device or operating system," Archibong wrote.
Beres said that Facebook's users may not have shared those same interests, or had the same understanding as Facebook as to how their data would be used.
"Facebook's natural defense is to be very literal, but I think we need to talk more about ethics and how people can actually naturally expect how their information is being used on these services," Beres said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebooks-privacy-problems-continue).
Markets closed the day mixed, and well off their lows of the day following a market meltdown earlier in the session. The Nasdaq staged a comeback late in the day, even amid ongoing worries about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Doug Flynn, certified financial planner and co-founder of Flynn Zito Capito, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the markets' close and what's driving the major indexes.
Two companies recently announced a new partnership aimed at addressing the growing demand to borrow against crypto - digital assets capital markets firm CrossTower is partnering with commercial bank, BankProv. The companies are launching a crypto lending platform that will allow Bitcoin miners to receive loans to invest in crypto mining equipment. The companies say the program also addresses the difficulty of breaking into crypto mining due to the high cost. CrossTower research analyst Martin Gaspar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Next-gen social sports platform Break the Love recently raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Break the Love's platform and iOS app allows users to discover and book group-based tennis activities, to either learn, train, or compete. The new company has already gotten support from a few big names in the world of tennis, including the coach of Naomi Osaka, as well as the United States Tennis Association and the brand Wilson. Break the Love founder and CEO Trisha Goyal joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The world of NFTs and cannabis are colliding as luxury cannabis company Peakz gears up to launch a digital dispensary in the metaverse. CEO Jessie Grundy and Tiffany McBride, managing director of social equity ventures at The Parent Company, an investor in Peakz, joined Cheddar to break down exactly how a digital dispensary would work. Grundy also talked about offering low-cost NFT courses in an effort to help Oakland, California, residents not miss out on new investing opportunities, and McBride discussed why the tech-forward vision of Grundy was worth investing in for The Parent Company. "He comes with really fresh ideas that he's vetted, that he's experienced in, and I really believe the thinking along Jessie's lines is the future of cannabis," she said. "He's more than just flower and a story. He comes with concepts that are new that are innovative, and that is easy for us to get behind."
Daniel O'Brien, president and global head of enterprise at HTC America, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to discuss new products and services the virtual reality brand showed off at CES 2022, including a wrist tracker — in lieu of controllers — for more accurate interactions connected to its all-in-one headset, the VIVE Focus 3. O'Brien also described a cloud-based, 5G content delivery system. "We partnered up with Lumen Technologies and from six miles away we delivered high bandwidth VR to a headset directly in the Wynn Hotel during CES," he said. "And people were able to walk around in their virtual experience through a wireless signal."
Samsung unveiled a slew of new electronics and upgraded designs at CES 2022. With a heavy focus on gaming and the future of work, the company showed off its all new Odyssey Ark, which boasts a massive 55 in. curved display designed to give users a more immersive and captivating experience. Sang Kim, SVP, Samsung Electronics joined Cheddar's Michelle Castillo to discuss the company's biggest launches as well as major trends to watch in 2022.
The UK's Information Commissioner's office is scrutinizing Facebook's parent company Meta over child safety practices linked to the Oculus headset, according to a report. The agency is looking to question the tech giant about how it's protecting children from harmful experiences in virtual reality.
Disney has secured a patent for a digital world simulator for headset-free augmented reality expected to be accessible in parks by tracking smartphones and projecting personalized 3D displays, an indication that the entertainment giant is gearing up for its entry into the metaverse.
