A Facebook logo on a computer screen is seen through a magnifying glass. (Photo : Reuters/Thomas Hodel)
A popular Facebook app is raising concern among security experts due to its vulnerability to be used in stealing sensitive user information. The app Most Used Words which turned viral appears to be clandestinely taking user information and sells it to other companies.
Most Words Used is a quiz app that is very popular among Facebook users. In the course of using the app, it will ask permission to access user's Facebook information before it gives up the prize that it is offering. The data gathered by the app are then sold to other companies that might find a use for it.
The app was created by a company named Vonvon.me and using the app require users to sign up by providing their Facebook login details. In the process, users give Vonvon.me permission to access their name, age, birthday, sex, home town, current city and education history.
The app is able to acquire sensitive information like IP addresses and device information from users. If users try to limit the app's access to their information, the app will not let the user play the quiz. Reports claim that Vonvon.me stores all the gathered data into servers located in countries around the world.
Comparitech blogger Paul Bischoff told The Telegraph, "Facebook is a haven for a large number of these companies and, frankly hasn't done enough to educate or warn users about the risks."
Once Vonvon.me has sold the data to third-party companies, the company who bought it is free to do whatever they want with the data since are they are no longer covered by Facebook's privacy policy, according to Independent.
