Facebook Is Banning Developers From Using Its Data to Build Surveillance Tools

ACLU and other groups have pushed for policy changes

Brands, media companies and nonprofits use Facebook’s data for a lot of different things, but the company said it wants to make sure tracking people isn’t one of them.

Today, Facebook announced it’s banning developers from using the social network’s data about users for surveillance tools. According to the company, updates, which also apply to other Facebook-owned platforms such as Instagram, are meant to “more clearly explain” its policies against surveillance tools developed for law enforcement purposes.

The move marks a victory for civil rights organizations, which have been pushing the Silicon Valley giant for months to make changes to its policies after the American

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