Facebook Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==== Phone data and activity ==== [[File:Onavo logo.png|thumb|Facebook acquired [[Onavo]]'s [[virtual private network]] to harvest usage data on its competitors.]] After acquiring [[Onavo]] in 2013, Facebook used its Onavo Protect [[virtual private network]] (VPN) app to collect information on users' [[web traffic]] and app usage. This allowed Facebook to monitor its competitors' performance, and motivated Facebook to acquire WhatsApp in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-copycats-how-facebook-squashes-competition-from-startups-1502293444|title=The New Copycats: How Facebook Squashes Competition From Startups|last1=Morris|first1=Betsy|date=August 9, 2017|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=August 15, 2017|last2=Seetharaman|first2=Deepa|issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/08/09/new-copycats-how-facebook-squashes-2.html|title=The New Copycats: How Facebook Squashes -2-|date=August 9, 2017|work=Fox Business|access-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/13/facebook-knew-about-snap-struggles-through-app-tracking/|title=Facebook knew about Snap's struggles months before the public|website=Engadget|date=August 13, 2017 |access-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref> Media outlets classified Onavo Protect as [[spyware]].<ref>{{cite news|access-date=September 3, 2018|title=Apple makes Facebook pull its spyware(ish) VPN from the App Store|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90224974/apple-makes-facebook-pull-its-spywareish-vpn-from-the-app-store|website=Fast Company|date=August 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Tom|last=McKay|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=September 3, 2018|title=Facebook Pulls Its Data-Harvesting Onavo VPN From App Store After Apple Says It Violates Rules|url=https://gizmodo.com/facebook-pulls-its-data-harvesting-onavo-vpn-from-app-s-1828541718|website=Gizmodo}}</ref><ref name="Mashable">{{cite news|first=Jack|last=Morse|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=September 3, 2018|title=Facebook to pull its creepy VPN Onavo from App Store after Apple pushback|url=https://mashable.com/article/facebook-pulls-onavo-from-app-store/|website=Mashable}}</ref> In August 2018, Facebook removed the app in response to pressure from Apple, who asserted that it violated their guidelines.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/22/apple-facebook-onavo/|title=Apple removed Facebook's Onavo from the App Store for gathering app data|work=[[TechCrunch]]|access-date=August 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/22/17771298/facebook-onavo-protect-apple-app-store-pulled-privacy-concerns|title=Facebook will pull its data-collecting VPN app from the App Store over privacy concerns|work=[[The Verge]]|access-date=August 23, 2018}}</ref> The [[Australian Competition and Consumer Commission]] sued Facebook on December 16, 2020, for "false, misleading or deceptive conduct" in response to the company's use of personal data obtained from Onavo for business purposes in contrast to Onavo's privacy-oriented marketing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spadafora |first1=Anthony |title=Facebook sued for using VPN to spy on users |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/facebook-sued-for-using-vpn-to-spy-on-users |website=[[TechRadar]] |access-date=January 7, 2021 |language=en |date=December 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Duckett |first1=Chris |title=Facebook dragged to court by ACCC over deceptive VPN conduct allegations |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebook-dragged-to-court-by-accc-over-deceptive-vpn-conduct-allegations/ |website=ZDNet |access-date=January 7, 2021 |language=en |date=December 16, 2020}}</ref> In 2016, Facebook Research launched Project Atlas, offering some users between the ages of 13 and 35 up to $20 per month (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|20|2016}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) in exchange for their personal data, including their app usage, [[web browsing history]], [[Web search engine|web search]] history, [[Mobile phone tracking|location history]], [[personal message]]s, photos, videos, [[email]]s and [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] order history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Laura |first=Bremner |date=January 29, 2019 |title=Facebook pays teens to install VPN that spies on them |url=https://pcsite.co.uk/facebook-project-atlas/ |access-date=January 30, 2019 |website=PcSite}}</ref><ref name="Recode Jan 2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.recode.net/2019/1/30/18203231/apple-banning-facebook-research-app|title=Apple says it's banning Facebook's research app that collects users' personal information|last=Wagner|first=Kurt|date=January 30, 2019|website=Recode|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> In January 2019, ''TechCrunch'' reported on the project. This led Apple to temporarily revoke Facebook's Enterprise Developer Program [[Public key certificate|certificates]] for one day, preventing Facebook Research from operating on iOS devices and disabling Facebook's internal iOS apps.<ref name="Recode Jan 2019" /><ref>{{cite web|first=Tom|last=Warren|access-date=January 30, 2019|title=Apple blocks Facebook from running its internal iOS apps|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/30/18203551/apple-facebook-blocked-internal-ios-apps|date=January 30, 2019|website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Isaac|access-date=February 2, 2019|title=Apple Shows Facebook Who Has the Power in an App Dispute|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/technology/apple-blocks-facebook.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201020059/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/technology/apple-blocks-facebook.html |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 31, 2019|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> ''[[Ars Technica]]'' reported in April 2018 that the Facebook Android app had been harvesting user data, including phone calls and text messages, since 2015.<ref>{{cite web|first=Sean|last=Gallagher|access-date=January 31, 2019|title=Facebook scraped call, text message data for years from Android phones [Updated]|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/03/facebook-scraped-call-text-message-data-for-years-from-android-phones/|date=March 24, 2018|website=Ars Technica}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2018/03/25/facebook-android-phone-call-data-gathering/|title=Facebook's app has been collecting Android phone data for years on some devices|last=Rosenberg|first=Adam|website=Mashable|date=March 25, 2018|access-date=February 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/25/17160944/facebook-call-history-sms-data-collection-android Facebook has been collecting call history and SMS data from Android devices] ''The Verge''</ref> In May 2018, several Android users filed a [[class action lawsuit]] against Facebook for invading their privacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jurist.org/news/2018/05/android-users-file-lawsuit-against-facebook-for-invasion-of-privacy/|title=Android users file lawsuit against Facebook for invasion of privacy|work=jurist.org|date=May 11, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Buckner, Gabriella|url=http://www.itpro.co.uk/data-mining/31107/facebook-faces-class-action-lawsuit-for-android-call-and-message-data-scraping|title=Facebook faces class action lawsuit for Android call and message data scraping|work=itpro.co.uk|date=May 14, 2018|access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> In January 2020, Facebook launched the Off-Facebook Activity page, which allows users to see information collected by Facebook about their non-Facebook activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/off-facebook-activity|title=Off-Facebook Activity|website=Facebook for Business}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler found that this included what other apps he used on his phone, even while the Facebook app was closed, what other web sites he visited on his phone, and what in-store purchases he made from affiliated businesses, even while his phone was completely off.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/28/off-facebook-activity-page/|title=Facebook will now show you exactly how it stalks you β even when you're not using Facebook|first=Geoffrey A. |last=Fowler |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> In November 2021, a report was published by Fairplay, Global Action Plan and Reset Australia detailing accusations that Facebook was continuing to manage their ad targeting system with data collected from teen users.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 16, 2021 |title=Facebook continuing to surveil teens for ads, says report |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/16/facebook-accused-of-still-targeting-teens-with-ads/ |access-date=November 16, 2021 |website=[[TechCrunch]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The accusations follow announcements by Facebook in July 2021 that they would cease ad targeting children.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Naomi Nix |date=July 27, 2021|title=Facebook Reduces Advertising Targeting for Teenagers |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-27/facebook-reduces-advertising-targeting-for-teenagers|access-date=November 16, 2021|work=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Klar|first=Rebecca|date=July 27, 2021|title=Facebook, Instagram to limit targeted ads for teen users|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/564878-facebook-instagram-to-limit-targeted-ads-for-teen-users/|access-date=November 16, 2021|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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