Facebook App EULA & Restrictions: What can't they do that my web app can?
- by Adam Tannon
I have written a nifty little web app (in Java/GWT/JS) and have been experimenting with the idea of making it available through Facebook as a Facebook App as well.
After spending some time reading Facebook's developer docs, it seems like I can just create a Facebook App to point at any URL I want and use that as the app/canvas. It accomplishes this via iframes.
So, my tentative plan is to just point it towards my (existing) web app so that I don't have to totally re-write it.
But then that got me thinking: Facebook must regulate what sorts of things can be done through a Facebook App, vs. what an app can't do.
For instance, I can't imagine I can point a Facebook App to point at a URL for a web app that accepts e-commerce payments (that would by-pass Facebook altogether and not allow them to take a cut from the ecom transaction!). Also, I can't imagine that Facebook allows developers to point their Facebook Apps to just any old URL without some sort of a scan, otherwise that would open Facebook up to the horrors of every security threat knownst to humanity.
I know for a fact that when you write an iOS native app and put it up on the Apple App Store, that Apple actually scans your source code for violations of their EULA.
So my question: does Facebook do the same? If so, what are their terms & conditions for what a Facebook app can/can't do? Suprisingly, I can't find this anywhere!! Thanks in advance!
