Brief:

• Facebook confirmed that it mistakenly sent data reports about some apps using its analytics platform to app testers per TechCrunch. Facebook found that 3% of apps using Facebook Analytics experienced the breach that sent weekly summary reports to people other than the app’s developers, admins and analysts.
• Facebook fixed the problem and said no personally identifiable information or contact information was improperly shared. The company began notifying all affected developers about the leak. Testers were only able to see the high-level summary information in the email.
• Facebook didn't disclose how many apps were affected by the error. Last year, the social network said Facebook Analytics had 1 million users, a number that includes apps, sites and bots.

Insight:

The news that Facebook accidentally shared sensitive business metrics with app testers joins a growing list of privacy scandals since Cambridge Analytica that has led to markedly lower trust from users about the company's data protection, according to a survey by SurveyMonkey/Recode. Facebook ranked behind Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Lyft, Microsoft, Netflix, Tesla, Twitter, Snap and Uber. In a survey by researcher Ponemon Institute, only 28% of the Facebook users believed the company was committed to privacy, down from a high of 79% last year. 

However, while some marketers are cutting back on digital spends due to poor ROI measurement, and for some on Facebook advertising itself, the social media giant has yet to feel major impact to its bottom line due to the scandal. Both its user base continues to grow and mobile advertising continue to grow, as reported by the New York Times. 

This breach comes just three months after the company tried to implement stronger measures to protect data and prevent abuse in the developer community. And just earlier this month, the company disclosed a software glitch that changed the suggested privacy setting for status updates to public, meaning that 14 million people had shared friends-only posts with everyone on the social network, TechCrunch reported.