Some Facebook games may be doing a little more with their user relationships than users — or even Facebook — realized. A new Wall Street Journal report says the strictest privacy settings on the social network aren't enough when apps start reaching through loopholes and into browsers for identifying information about players and their social connections. Some of the most popular apps available on the network have been implicated in the report, including "FarmVille," "Texas HoldEm Poker" and "FrontierVille," though Facebook has said that will step up security measures in response.
According to the report's findings, some of the top apps have been harvesting users ID numbers, which have then been used to identify personal details that were compiled into databases and shared with "at least 25 advertising and data firms." Such actions would violate Facebook and Zynga's policies of not sharing user details with third parties without their permission.
"This is an even more complicated technical challenge than a similar issue we successfully addressed last spring on Facebook.com," a Facebook spokesman to the WSJ, "but one that we are committed to addressing."
In the meantime, Zynga claimed to be working with Facebook and reiterated its own policies.
"Zynga has a strict policy of not passing personally identifiable information to any third parties," a company spokeswoman said. "We look forward to working with Facebook to refine how web technologies work to keep people in control of their information."
Some apps may have been relaying information without their makers being aware, though even if identifiable numbers were being funneled out into the world and later used by third parties to compile network info, a lot of users are going to be concerned.
Would you be bothered to find out that details you thought were private on Facebook were being sold to advertising companies? Who do you think the blame lies with in this situation? Share your opinions with us in the comment section below.