Moves App Backtracks, Shares User Data With Facebook

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After promising the company would keep data private, Moves says it will now share user data with Facebook.

Image: Kurt Wagner/Mashable

By Kurt Wagner2014-05-06 18:31:44 UTC

When Facebook acquired fitness tracking app Moves at the end of April, the app took a public stand against the idea that its user data would end up in the hands of the social network. "The Moves experience will continue to operate as a standalone app," the company wrote in a blog post, "and there are no plans to change that or commingle data with Facebook."

That was on April 24, less than two weeks ago. On Monday, Moves quietly updated its Privacy Policy, which can be found here. Under the new policy, the company will now share user data with affiliates — in other words, Facebook.

See also: Goodbye, Hoodie: Facebook Grows Up

Here's what the company says in the fine print of its policy update:

We may share information, including personally identifying information, with our Affiliates (companies that are part of our corporate groups of companies, including but not limited to Facebook) to help provide, understand, and improve our Services.

Facebook did not immediately to Mashable's request for comment.

The earlier position Moves took on user data was the same taken by WhatsApp following its $19 billion acquisition in February. It was intended to sooth users who were concerned that the app would simply pass along their info to Facebook, a notorious data collector.

Facebook has already been collecting location data from willing users via the company's new Nearby Friends feature, which shows users which of their Facebook friends are in the area.

Moves users have taken to Twitter to voice their displeasure over the policy change:

When it comes to mobile apps, Facebook has had a busy 2014. The company acquired messaging service WhatsApp, released its own news reader app Paper, and also announced that Messenger, the company's standalone messaging app, will soon have a much greater role in the future — once Facebook acts on its plan to eliminate messaging from its main iOS and Android apps.

Privacy has also been a major point of emphasis for Facebook last week. At F8, Facebook's developer conference, the company announced updates to third party app permissions, an attempt to give users more control over what personal data they share with other apps. Facebook even announced a new anonymous login feature so users can try a new app without having to share their personal data with the app maker.

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Topics: Apps and Software, data, data privacy, Facebook, fitness tracking, moves, privacy policy, Social Media, WhatsApp?