Facebook Suspends 'Tens Of Thousands' Of Apps As Part Of Cambridge Analytica Investigation

Facebook suspended “tens of thousands” of apps Friday as part of the ongoing investigation into how developers use Facebook users’ private data.

Facebook (FB) announced the suspensions in a blog post Friday updating users about the ongoing “App Developer Investigation” following 2018’s Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook said “tens of thousands” of apps had been suspended for a “variety of reasons” as Facebook continues its investigation, which stemmed from evidence the English tech firm, Cambridge Analytica, had harvested the private information of more than 50 million Facebook users.

Facebook faced massive backlash from the U.S. government over its use of and ability to protect users’ private data. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified about the issue before Congress in April of 2018.

Ime Archibong, vice president of product partnerships, wrote in the blog post the apps are associated with about 400 developers and were still in their testing phase.

"It is important to understand that the apps that have been suspended are associated with about 400 developers. This is not necessarily an indication that these apps were posing a threat to people. Many were not live but were still in their testing phase when we suspended them. It is not unusual for developers to have multiple test apps that never get rolled out. And in many cases, the developers did not respond to our request for information so we suspended them, honoring our commitment to take action."

The number of apps suspended is much higher than originally reported. Facebook initially suspended 200 apps in May 2018 and 200 more the following August.

The news also comes as the Massachusetts attorney general’s office sought to unseal records on the investigation.

“For nearly a year, Facebook has fought to shield information about improper data-sharing with app developers,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “If only Facebook cared this much about privacy when it was giving away the personal data of everyone you know online.”