Facebook and Instagram finally ban people from using data for 'surveillance', after criticism of privacy policy

Facebook and Instagram have finally banned developers from using people's posts to spy on them. Until now, the sites had given up public posts freely to sites that monitor activists and protesters and hand that information over to law enforcement. But after sustained criticism from civil liberties groups, it has finally announced that it will introduce a policy banning such surveillance. Facebook said that by doing so it was making its policy "explicit", and that it has already taken action against developers who created or marketed tools meant to be used for surveillance. The only change it had made was to "be sure everyone understands the underlying policy and how to comply", it said.