Facebook defends sharing user data with phone makers

Facebook issued a statement defending the sharing of data with smartphone and tablet makers.

The statement came after The New York Times published an article about data-sharing deals Facebook entered into with Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and others.

"These partners signed agreements that prevented people's Facebook information from being used for any other purpose than to recreate Facebook-like experiences," Ime Archibong, Facebook's vice president of product partnerships, wrote in a blog post.

"We are not aware of any abuse by these companies," he added, noting that Facebook has been "winding down access" to the software.

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