We work hard to protect user privacy and data security throughout the Apple ecosystem. Apple indirectly said that the app violated its privacy rules. In August last year, Apple instructed Facebook to pull the iOS app – effectively allowing the social network to save face by doing it on a ‘voluntary’ basis rather than have Apple ban it. However, as we noted at the time, the app was effectively acting as spyware by collecting user data from both apps and websites. The Onavo Protect app will eventually shut down, and will immediately cease pulling in data from users for market research though it will continue operating as a Virtual Private Network in the short-term to allow users to find a replacement.įacebook has also ceased to recruit new users for the Facebook Research app that still runs on Android but was forced off of iOS by Apple after we reported on how it violated Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program for employee-only apps.Ĭrazily, it is still clinging on in one respect, though.Įxisting Facebook Research app studies will continue to run.įacebook launched Onavo Protect, a VPN app, early last year.

TechCrunch reports that Facebook is pulling the Android version of Onavo VPN too, and that it is ceasing to recruit new users for the Android version of its Facebook Research app.įacebook will end its unpaid market research programs and proactively take its Onavo VPN app off the Google Play store in the wake of backlash following TechCrunch’s investigation about Onavo code being used in a Facebook Research app the sucked up data about teens. After Apple forced Facebook to pull Onavo Protect from the iOS App Store, and to cease using Facebook Research, the social network seems to be finally taking the hint about its spyware …

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