Not aware of misuse of user info by device makers, says Facebook

Social networking giant Facebook on Wednesday asserted that it is not aware of "any misuse" of user information including that of Indians, arising out of its agreements with device makers and that these partnerships were limited to creating Facebook-like experiences.

Facebook's clarifications assume significance as the US social media company had received a notice from India's IT Ministry seeking an explanation on reports that Facebook had shared information of its users with mobile device makers. "We are not aware of any misuse of Facebook information including Indian users information," a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed response.

The spokesperson was responding to specific queries on whether the company has responded to the government's notice.

"We appreciate the government of India for giving us an opportunity to respond to the New York Times article on our device-integrated APIs- software which we launched 10 years ago to help get Facebook onto mobile devices," the spokesperson said. The company explained that the purpose of these partnerships "was not to share information but to help the partners develop Facebook-like experiences, particularly on devices and other products where people otherwise would not have had this access".