Facebook confirms data sharing with Huawei, 3 other Chinese firms
New York, June 6 : Facebook has admitted sharing users' data with Chinese company Huawei -- facing the heat in the US over data privacy concerns -- along with three other China-based smartphone makers Lenovo, OPPO and TCL.
According to a report in Financial Times on Tuesday, Francisco Varela, vice president of Mobile Partnerships at Facebook, said that many technology companies have worked with Huawei.
"Facebook's integrations with Huawei, Lenovo, OPPO and TCL were controlled from the get-go -- and we approved the Facebook experiences these companies built," Varela said in a statement.
"Given the interest from Congress, we wanted to make clear that all the information from these integrations with Huawei was stored on the device, not on Huawei's servers," the Facebook executive added.
The Facebook confirmation came a day after The New York Times reported that the social media giant provided access to users' data to at least 60 different device makers -- including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung and BlackBerry.
There are concerns in the US among the FBI, CIA, NSA, the Federal Communications Commission and House Intelligence Committee over Huawei devices.
In February, FBI Director Chris Wray said the FBI was "deeply concerned" about the risks posed by Huawei and ZTE. The US military has banned phones made by Huawei and ZTE.
According to Senator Mark Warner, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the concerns about Huawei were not new.
"The news that Facebook provided privileged access to Facebook's API [application programming interface] to Chinese device makers like Huawei and TCL raises legitimate concerns, and I look forward to learning more about how Facebook ensured that information about their users was not sent to Chinese servers," he said in a statement late Tuesday.
"Concerns about Huawei aren't new - they were widely publicised beginning in 2012, when the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a well-read report on the close relationships between the Chinese Communist Party and equipment makers like Huawei," Warner added.
The Senate Commerce Committee has already sent a letter to Facebook over the reports that it shared data with device makers.
Earlier, the social network defended the pacts with device makers, saying that these partnerships do not raise privacy concerns.
Facebook said that the partners signed agreements that prevented people's information from being used for any other purpose than to recreate Facebook-like experiences.
"Partners could not integrate the user's Facebook features with their devices without the user's permission," Ime Archibong, Facebook's Vice President of Product Partnerships, said in a statement.
Facebook launched the device-integrated APIs about a decade ago and said that all these partnerships were built on a common interest -- the desire for people to be able to use Facebook whatever their device or operating system.
"Given that these APIs enabled other companies to recreate the Facebook experience, we controlled them tightly from the get-go," Archibong said.
Facebook said that it had already ended 22 of the device partnerships.
"Now that iOS and Android are so popular, fewer people rely on these APIs to create bespoke Facebook experiences. It's why we announced in April that we're winding down access to them. We've already ended 22 of these partnerships," Archibong noted.
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Noida labour unrest: UP govt orders interim hike in minimum wages, says final wage fixation soon
Noida (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government has directed an interim hike in minimum wages across worker categories following unrest in Noida, with revised rates coming into effect from April 1 retrospectively, officials here said on Tuesday.
The wage hike translates into an increase of up to Rs 3,000 across categories, with workers in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad witnessing a rise of up to 21 per cent in their monthly earnings, they said
The process for final wage fixation would be taken up through a wage board to be constituted soon, and the government is also considering additional welfare measures related to workers' health, pension and education of their children, Industrial Development Commissioner Deepak Kumar said.
The wage increase has been done by the high-powered committee, formed to look into the labour issues after large-scale protests by factory workers in Noida on Monday, to provide immediate financial relief to the workers, the officials said.
"The decision was approved by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh late last night," Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam said.
According to a statement, the committee is working towards resolving industrial discord through dialogue and coordination, while also considering further measures to address workers' concerns.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to employers to ensure timely payment of wages, proper overtime compensation, weekly offs, bonuses and social security benefits, while maintaining safe working conditions, particularly for female workers, the statement said.
In Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, unskilled workers will now get Rs 13,690 per month, up from Rs 11,313, while semi-skilled workers will receive Rs 15,059, and skilled workers Rs 16,868, according to an official statement.
For other municipal corporation areas, the revised monthly wages have been fixed at Rs 13,006 for unskilled workers, Rs 14,306 for semi-skilled workers, and Rs 16,025 for skilled workers.
In the remaining districts, unskilled workers will get Rs 12,356 per month, semi-skilled workers Rs 13,591, and skilled workers Rs 15,224. The decision follows consultations with employers' bodies and labour organisations.
The government said suggestions and objections were examined to ensure a "balanced and practical" outcome.
The statement said that industries are facing global economic challenges, including rising input costs and declining exports, even as workers' demands regarding wages, overtime, safety and working conditions remain "relevant and important."
"In such a situation, it is essential to adopt a balanced approach between industry and labour," the government said, adding that provisions under the new labour codes aim to ensure fair wages and protect workers' interests.
It said it is considering an interim increase in wages based on indexation and will initiate the process for final wage fixation on the recommendations of a wage board to be constituted soon.
Meanwhile, the government dismissed as "fake and misleading" reports circulating on social media claiming that a uniform minimum wage of Rs 20,000 per month had been fixed for workers.
Clarifying the position, it said the process of determining a national "floor wage" under the new labour codes is underway at the central level and no such notification had been issued.
Industrial Development Commissioner Deepak Kumar said the decision on wage hike was taken following a detailed review of the recent developments and was aimed at providing immediate financial relief to workers while maintaining a balanced approach.
"The Uttar Pradesh government, on the directions of the Chief Minister, has decided to implement an interim increase in minimum wages. The highest increase has been given to the skilled category, and in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, the hike goes up to 21 per cent. These revised rates will be effective from April 1, 2026," he said.
The committee, which visited Noida following the unrest, said workers' representatives had maintained that their agitation was peaceful and centred around demands such as wage hikes, weekly offs, double overtime pay, safety and dignified working conditions.
At the same time, the possibility of the involvement of "external elements" in the violence was flagged, with workers themselves expressing apprehension about outsiders fuelling the unrest, they said.
To address grievances and ensure better coordination, the administration has set up a dedicated control room at the district level. Workers can register complaints and seek assistance through helpline numbers 120-2978231, 120-2978232, 120-2978862 and 120-2978702, officials said.
The state government has also issued strict directions for action against anti-social elements involved in the violence, launching a special drive to identify such individuals through technical surveillance, intelligence inputs and local information gathering.
The officials said those found responsible would face stringent legal action, including arrests and criminal cases, asserting that attempts to disturb industrial harmony and law and order would not be tolerated.
So far, over 300 people have been arrested and seven FIRs lodged at different police stations in connection with Monday's violence, Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh said on Tuesday.
