Facebook closes some APIs to protect user information
Following Cambridge Analytica of data abuse scandals and the recent discovery of an application that leaked data from 120 million users, Facebook introduced a series of API changes on July 2 to protect user information more in place. These changes will affect multiple APIs for developers, including APIs for creating social experiences on websites, APIs for media partners, and more. The API restrictions being implemented are:
- Graph API Explorer application: Facebook abandoned its test application on July 2nd. Developers need to test their queries on the Graph API Explorer using their application access tokens.
- Profile Expression Kit: This allows developers to build applications that let people add jazz or create profile videos to their profile photos. This seems to be attributed to the closure of the group, not because it was abused, but because its adoption rate is meagre. It will be closed on October 1.
- Media Solutions API: Closed on August 1, due to low usage, Facebook is closing topic search, theme insights and theme enhancements, and public image APIs. It has abandoned the labelling of trending APIs and signalling tools for journalists, trending topic products, and interactive TV experiences. Looking ahead, Facebook said the public content discovery API is limited to page content and public posts in specific verified profiles.
- Page API: Developers can use the Page API again to search, but need to use functional permissions that require access to public content on the page, which can only be obtained through the app review process.
- Marketing API: Developers must go through application review before using this API.
- Lead Ads Retrieval: Facebook has also introduced new app review permissions for this purpose.
- Live video APIs: will also have new app review permissions.
This latest API change does not include some of the more advanced APIs – such as Facebook’s changes to Facebook logins, groups, events and other APIs in April. However, it does indicate that the developer platform review process is still in progress and that more APIs may be processed in the future.
