Cybersecurity

Buying a Portal? Facebook Executive Answers Questions on Privacy

  • New in-home calling device launched amid crisis of trust
  • Devices go on sale in the U.S. Thursday at $199 and $349
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Facebook Inc. introduced Portal, its in-home video calling device, right in the midst of a crisis of trust with its users. It was unveiled in October, just a few days after a major data breach, and a few months after Congress interrogated the company about sharing user information with developers.

Portal goes on sale in the U.S. Thursday just in time for the holidays, at $199 for the small version and $349 for the larger one. But if people are going to put a Facebook-designed video device in their homes, they’re going to need to know a few things about its privacy features first. Bloomberg asked Andrew Bosworth, vice president of consumer hardware, if he could help clear things up.