Facebook Halts 200 Apps to Conduct Investigation of Misuse of User Information

Facebook announced Monday that the tech conglomerate has halted the operations of approximately 200 apps, that have had access to copious amounts of user intel four years ago, in the midst of the ongoing Cambridge Analytica investigation.

Facebook’s Vice President of Product Partnerships Ime Archibong published an update regarding the internal app audit promised by Mark Zuckerberg in mid-March, affirming that “we have large teams of internal and external experts working hard to investigate these apps as quickly as possible. ”

The Washington Post reports the personality quiz app, myPersonality, was suspended last month and is undergoing investigation. myPersonality was initiated by researchers at the University of Cambridge to accumulate information on Facebook users to better inform academic research.

According to The New Scientist, login credentials to the myPersonality database have leaked onto the code-sharing website GitHub. This leak provides access to the “Big Five” personality scores of over millions of Facebook users whose identities could be rapidly revealed through an automated process.

The New Scientist reports that “research like this can help understand political advertising on Facebook and the spread of fake news.”

The social media network has not divulged further details about the apps that have been suspended, the amount of user data they possess and the red flags that alerted the company’s suspicions. Users will be notified of banned apps via this website