Facebook faces questions from lawmakers about privacy of health groups – CNET

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Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg


James Martin/CNET

Facebook is under fire for allegedly failing to protect the health data provided by users in “closed” groups and lawmakers want answers. 

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg requesting a staff briefing by March about the latest privacy concerns against the social network.

A 43-page complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission, which was made public on Monday, alleges that Facebook lures users into sharing their personal health information in closed groups where members have to be approved before they can view or post content. But the social network allegedly misleads users about how private or anonymous the health data they share is and third parties have exploited loopholes to access a member’s posts and comments. 

In July, revelations surfaced that members of a private group for breast cancer gene carriers discovered a Chrome extension that allowed marketers and others to find the names and sometimes the profile information of members in closed groups.

While Facebook closed this loophole, security researcher Fred Trotter and healthcare lawyer David Harlow note in the complaint that it’s possible to set up a fake account and download a group’s member list. Trotter and Harlow also argue that Facebook violated federal law along with a agreement it had with the FTC to get consent from users before sharing their data with third parties. 

“The consumer complaint raises a number of concerns about Facebook’s privacy policies and practices,” lawmakers said in the letter to Zuckerberg. Facebook may have failed to inform users that their health data might have been exposed to insurance companies, online bullies and others. 

The FTC, which has been investigating Facebook’s privacy practices, is reportedly negotiating a record-setting fine against the social network.  

Facebook did not respond to a request for comment.

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source: cnet.com