Facebook's data security app Onavo to be removed from Apple's App Store

Onavo, Facebook's data security app that offers consumers access to a virtual private network (VPN), is due to be removed from Apple's App Store at the same time that the social media site suspended more than 400 apps for harvesting users' personal information. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the app created an encrypted VPN connection that routes internet activity through servers that are managed and secured by Facebook and the app also alerted users when sites they visit may be dangerous. It has become public knowledge that Facebook is able to collate data about how people use their smartphones outside of the social network's services and potentially figure out information about rivals or internet trends, but what is Onavo? Onavo, founded in Israel in 2010 by Roi Tiger and Guy Rosen, is an analytics company that has provided products for applications, which are then influenced by the data that is collated through the company's VPN services, Onavo Extend and Onavo Protect, according to Crunchbase. In 2013, the company was acquired by Facebook and was the seed for the launch of Facebook Israel, its platform being leveraged to monitor the performance of competitors and influence other acquisitions and business decisions.