Facebook admits it discussed sharing user data for medical research project

Company acknowledges revelations in CNBC report but says project was put on hold, with no data 'shared or analyzed'

Facebook was in discussions with major medical institutions about sharing user and patient data for a research project, the social media company admitted on Thursday, after revelations in a news report .

The report, from CNBC, said the proposed plan included using a process to match data for individuals in both sets, which would be anonymized, to research how such information sharing could improve individual patient care.