As is often the case when Facebook apps go viral, we’re asked by our readers whether they’re safe to install. The latest Facebook app to spread like wildfire across the social network is the “What is your review on Amazon?” app. We took a look at the app in more detail…
It is important to be careful before installing any Facebook app. Facebook apps request (and subsequently obtain) certain access and permissions to your Facebook account when you install them. In the past, the developers behind those apps have misused the user’s information they obtained (for example, the Cambridge Analytica incident) and some rogue Facebook apps have been known to post spammy/malicious links or messages from a user’s Facebook account.
The “What is your review on Amazon?” Facebook app, when installed, creates a random Amazon review with the user’s name as the product title, along with a “humourous” twist and a random product rating from 1 to 5 stars (much like Amazon’s actual rating system.)
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The app is from a website called QuizzStar, a popular developer for this type of inane and “entertaining” type of Facebook app. When installing the app, it asks for the minimal amount of permissions to install, which is a user’s public information (name, age range, gender and profile picture along with any other information a user has chosen to make public.) As such, the app doesn’t appear to request excessive permissions – something which Facebook cracked down on after the Cambridge Analytica data leaks. So far, so good.
The website itself does have a privacy policy and a privacy FAQ that includes the following disclaimer –
Quizzstar will
NEVER permanently store any personal data from your facebook profile (posts, pictures, likes, email, friends etc.)
NEVER transfer or sell your private data to a third party
As such, the developers acknowledge that they will never sell or store your personal information, and that a user’s information is only used in relation to allowing the app to work as intended. It’s a good sign that the developer has taken the time to state this on their website.
The only red flag is that there is not a great deal of easily accessible information available about the company and the people behind Quizzstar, such as the names of the developers and where they operate from. This is a common theme with these types of Facebook developers.
As usual, it is up to the Facebook user’s themselves to determine whether they trust a Facebook developer enough to give their apps permission to install onto their accounts. While developers may have privacy policies and terms of service, a user has to trust the developers to stick to them. While we do not see anything outwardly suspicious about Quizzstar or the “What is your review on Amazon?” app, it is ultimately up to each Facebook user to decide whether they trust the company to handle their personal information responsibly.
If we had to give this app our own ‘Amazon review’, it would a solid 3 out of 5. Nothing obviously untoward, but a little more information on the developers would be nice.
For more information and advice on installing these types of apps, read our article here.