Article snippet: Facebook granted major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Netflix access to users' personal data in ways not previously disclosed, according to interviews and internal documents reported by The New York Times. The news outlet cited interviews and hundreds of documents from the social media platform that showed the company allowed Microsoft's Bing search engine to view the names of Facebook users' friends without consent; allowed Netflix and Spotify to read users' private messages; and allowed Amazon to obtain users' names and contact information. The agreements between Facebook and tech companies applied to more than 150 companies, most of which are technology and online retail sites, the Times reported. Each of the deals were in effect as recently as 2017, and some were active this year, according to the Times. Steve Satterfield, Facebook's director of privacy and public policy, told The Hill in a statement that none of the arrangements violated users' privacy agreements, or a deal between Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission, which outlawed the social media platform from sharing user data without explicit consent. "We know we've got work to do to regain people's trust," Satterfield said in a statement. "Protecting people's information requires stronger teams, better technology, and clearer policies, and that's where we've been focused for most of 2018." The Times report comes as Facebook has grappled with controversy after controversy over the past... Link to the full article to read more