Facebook is reportedly under criminal investigation over deals that gave Apple, Amazon, and other companies access to user data

Facebook is under criminal investigation over data-sharing deals it signed with Apple, Amazon, and other major tech companies, reports the New York Times. The partnerships, first reported in December, gave those outside companies to data including friends lists, contact information, and even private messages — and not always with the user's consent.Most of those partnerships have ended over the last two years. Facebook tells the Times that it is cooperating with investigators.Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into data-sharing deals struck between Facebook and over 150 other companies, reports the New York Times. Under the terms of those deals, which the Times first reported in December, Facebook allowed partners including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft to access personal user data, including friend lists, contact information, and sometimes even private messages — and not always with the user's consent, the report alleged. Most of those partnerships have ended over the last several years. According to the New York Times report, a grand jury in New York has already subpoenaed information on these types of deals from at least two smartphone and other device manufacturers involved. “We are cooperating with investigators and take those probes seriously,” a Facebook spokesperson told the Times. “We‘ve provided public testimony, answered questions and pledged that we will continue to do so.”In December, following the original Times report, Facebook said in a blog entry that these partnerships were necessary to enable certain social features in outside apps, like logging into a Facebook account from a Windows phone, or sharing what Spotify song you were listening to via Facebook Messenger. “To be clear: none of these partnerships or features gave companies access to information without people’s permission, nor did they violate our 2012 settlement with the FTC,” wrote Facebook in that blog post.Representatives for Facebook or the United States Department of Justice did not respond to an immediate request for comment from Business Insider.