The investigation, which began in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, has resulted in the suspension of around 400 developers, the company said Friday. Facebook identified apps for investigation based on the number of users, how much data they could access and the potential for abuse. “We won’t catch everything, and some of what we do catch will be with help from others outside Facebook,” the company said. (The Logic)
Talking point: The suspensions are a significant development in Facebook’s reaction to the vulnerabilities identified as a result of the scandal, which first came to light in 2015. After further reporting on the issue—and concerns around its impact on the U.S. election—Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of Congress in April 2018. The internal investigation is part of a broader effort by the company to protect users’ data from being scraped by app developers, as Cambridge Analytica did. On Thursday, Zuckerberg met with President Donald Trump and U.S. senators. It was the first time Zuckerberg and Trump met in person, and their relationship could prove crucial to the company as it continues to face antitrust probes and calls for regulation.