Facebook’s Restrictions on User Data Cast a Long Shadow

Facebook’s restrictions on its user data, which were announced in 2014 and put into effect in May, are rippling through academia, business and presidential politics.

Dozens of startups that had been using Facebook data have shut down, been acquired or overhauled their businesses. Political consultants are racing to find new ways to tap voters’ social connections ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The new rules reflect Facebook’s shifting attitude toward third parties using its data, considered one of the world’s richest sources of information on human relationships. Facebook said it reversed course after users raised concerns about their data being shared with outsiders without their knowledge.