In brief
Some Samsung phones allowed users only to disable the preinstalled Facebook app. Facebook said disabling it stopped data collection and transmission, but its refusal to identify affected manufacturers left consumers concerned about privacy and choice.
Some people are not particularly fond of using Facebook, yet it can sometimes be hard to avoid. Some users in the United States discovered that, after buying Samsung phones, they could not delete the preinstalled Facebook app。
One user bought a Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2017 and later wanted to delete the preinstalled Facebook app, but found that the only option available was “Disable”. Winke was puzzled by this and unsure whether Facebook could still track his information and location after being disabled. Since Facebook’s personal data breach scandal in 2018, many consumers have become more sensitive to personal data and privacy protection, with some even deleting their Facebook accounts. It is therefore understandable that being unable to delete the Facebook apphas caused anxiety among some consumers.
A Facebook spokesperson said that disabling the app was equivalent to deleting it: it would no longer collect data or send it back to Facebook. Whether the app could be deleted depended on the preinstallation agreement between Facebook and the phone manufacturer. However, Facebook declined to disclose the list of manufacturers that had preinstalled a non-removable version of the app, saying only that its agreements with manufacturers varied by region and type. Consumers could not know in advance whether a phone’s preinstalled Facebook app could be deleted unless they specifically asked customer service before buying.
Samsung said that some models came with Facebook preinstalled and that users could disable it if they did not want to use it. Facebook was not the only company with preinstalled phone apps: Google, Amazon and Twitter also had agreements with phone manufacturers to provide preinstalled apps on Android phones. Apple’s iPhone, however, did not come with any preinstalled third-party apps。
Many consumers expressed dissatisfaction at having an app installed without their choice and being unable to delete it. Some even said on Twitter that their next phone would be from another manufacturer instead of Samsung. Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy believed that Facebook should release documentation proving that the app would no longer collect data after being disabled.
Original article URL: https://bit.ly/2HcoViL