Here's what Facebook's Portal can and can't do with data
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When Facebook introduced an in-home video calling device with camera and microphone this month, the company wanted to avoid any confusion about the type of data it could sweep up. The last thing Facebook needed was to raise more privacy alarms about its business, so the marketing around Portal, a voice-activated media hub for the home, highlighted clear safeguards and an upfront “no ads” policy.
But it turned out the company’s messaging was less than clear.
As a report in Recode this week noted, “It turns out that Facebook could in fact use data collected from its Portal in-home video device to target you with ads.” A Facebook representative had initially told Recode that no data from Portal would be used to target ads. But the device does pick up routine information like who a person calls and when, which is the type of data Facebook does use to target ads on its other properties, just not on Portal.
