Facebook will be questioned by the US Senate Commerce Committee over a report that it allowed Apple and other device makers to have deep access to users’ personal data without their consent.

The Commerce Committee said that the report raises concerns about a number of issues involving transparency and privacy risks.

The software at the centre of the probe was launched 10 years ago and is used by about 60 companies, including Amazon, Apple, Blackberry, HTC, Microsoft and Samsung.

Facebook has allowed companies to access the data of users’ friends without their explicit consent, even after declaring it would no longer share such information with outsiders.