Editorial · April 4, 2018
Facebook App Permissions: Review and Remove Access
Facebook app permissions decide what each app, game or website can see once you log in with Facebook. You can review them in your settings and remove any app you no longer use. It takes about ten minutes, and you do not need any special skill.
This guide is for ordinary Facebook users in Vietnam, including small business owners who log in to tools with their Facebook account. It is general information, not legal or technical advice.
Why this matters now
In mid-March 2018, Facebook said it had suspended a firm called SCL Group, which includes Cambridge Analytica, from its platform. The reason was that a quiz app, which about 270,000 people had downloaded, passed user data to third parties. Facebook said this broke its rules. Facebook also said the people who used the app had agreed to share some of their information with it.
The lesson for readers is simple. When you tap "Log in with Facebook," you give that app a set of permissions. Those permissions stay in place until you take them away.
Sources: Facebook Newsroom, Suspending Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group from Facebook, March 16, 2018
What an app permission is
A permission is a piece of your information that an app asks to read. Common examples are your public profile, your email address and your friend list. Some apps ask for more, such as your photos or the pages you like.
You approve these when you first connect. Most people click through quickly and forget about it. Over time, many old apps can stay connected to the account.
Facebook says it changed its tools in 2014 so that each person decides what to share with apps, including their friend list. That control is yours to use.
Sources: Facebook Newsroom, Suspending Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group from Facebook, March 16, 2018
How to review your apps
Follow these steps on a computer. The phone app has the same list, although the menu names can differ.
- Log in to Facebook and open the Settings page from the menu at the top right.
- Find the section for apps in the left-hand menu. Look for the apps, websites and games settings.
- Read the list of connected apps from top to bottom.
- Click an app to see what it can access.
Take your time with the list. Write down the apps you do not recognize and the ones you have not used in a year.
What to keep and what to remove
Use a short test for each app. Ask three questions.
- Do I still use this app or game?
- Do I trust the company behind it?
- Does it need the information it asks for?
If the answer to the first question is no, remove the app. Old quizzes, one-time games and trial tools are the usual candidates. If you do not know who made an app, remove it as well. You can always log in again later if you change your mind.
Apps you use for work, such as a scheduling tool or an online store, may be worth keeping. Check what each one can see. If it asks for more than it needs, look for a setting that lets you share less.
What removing an app does and does not do
Removing an app cuts off its access to your information on Facebook. An app may still keep data it already received before you removed it. Removal stops future access. It does not erase the past.
If you want old data deleted, contact the app's maker directly. Look for a privacy contact on the app's own website.
Facebook also said on March 21, 2018 that it plans to limit the data an app receives when people log in with Facebook to the basics: name, profile photo and email address. It also said it would cut off access for apps that people have not used for three months. These steps are plans, so keep checking your own list rather than waiting for them.
Sources: Facebook Newsroom, Cracking Down on Platform Abuse, March 21, 2018; Facebook Newsroom, Suspending Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group from Facebook, March 16, 2018
A simple routine to keep
Treat this like locking your front door. Do it once now, then repeat every few months.
- Open your connected apps list and remove anything you do not use.
- Think twice before tapping "Log in with Facebook" on a new site. Read the list of what it asks for.
- Use a strong, unique password for Facebook itself, since it unlocks every connected app.
- If you run a business page, ask each staff member to check their own apps too.
These habits cost little and lower the number of companies that can see your details. They also make it easier to spot an app that should not be there.
Sources
A place on this register is not for sale.