Facebookers... BEWARE!!!

[Steelharp]

Do NOT use your phones for FB. Do NOT install the Messenger app.

 

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2014/08/07/facebook-crosses-the-line-with-new-facebook-messenger-app/

[btq96r]

It's Facebook's business to know your business.  How do you think they can keep a site that big running for free?  They sell information taken from users for advertising purposes.  Do some searching and see just how in depth Facebook goes at storing and analyzing information, it's amazing.  Ditto for Google.

[mikegideon]

They know who you are now, Mikie. That last pm you got from me was through messenger :)

[nightrunner]

Well the thing is, is that if im not already on every government watchlist they have, someone isnt doing their job.

[Trekbike]

Not saying I agree with their policy but if you read the permission policies on a lot of app's it says about the same thing more or less.  I do believe FB would be more likely to exercise those permissions than other apps.   

[GlockSpock]

Now, I don't even use FaceBook because but I don't necessarily go along with the hype here. That is not to say that they aren't doing a lot of things against privacy, but:

 

Change the state of network connectivity (I could not really think of a reason for this unless it has something to do with identifying when the phone is on cellular vs WiFi [for features such as only send photos on WiFi])

 

Call phone numbers and send SMS messages (I don't even know 100% what the app is for but this probably is there so you can click the "Invite Friends to FaceBook Messenger" button and then it sends them a text message doing so)

 

Record audio, and take pictures and videos, at any time (This is there so within the Messenger app you can click the photo button to take a photo within the app and send it along)

 

Read your phone’s call log, including info about incoming and outgoing calls (Not 100%. Could be used to see who you call most in order to give you a "favorites/most contacted" list so you can quick contact those people without adding them all to the list manually.

 

Read your contact data, including who you call and email and how often (This is probably so that you can click a button titled "Find My Contacts on FaceBook". It would dig through your contact data and try to match that data with people on Facebook. Then it shows you a list of who you want to add as a friend.

 

Read personal profile information stored on your device (This probably isn't as scary as it sounds. This is probably the permission used to read/write data within it's own FaceBook directory.

 

Get a list of accounts known by the phone, or other apps you use (Sort of lost on this one.)

 

But yes, overall most of those permissions are widely and uniformly used against all apps on both (iOS and Android) mobile operating systems.

 

 

 

 

Now, unless I am completely misinformed, the funny thing is that at least on iOS, a lot of the things that writer is trying to stirrup are not even possible because each app is sort of its own "sandbox". Generally speaking, an app on iOS cannot, for example, go out and copy user data from other apps and then send it to home base.

 

Once again, I don't even use FaceBook for several completely different reasons. But I don't see this as "Facebook Crosses The Line" but rather "More of the Same". If you were to start digging into permissions for practically any app you would use, I bet an alarmist writer could write an article equally "frightening" or worse for most of them.

[GlockSpock]

Someone that supposedly works at FaceBook supposedly made comments:

 

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2014/08/08/facebooks-response-to-my-privacy-concerns/

[Steelharp]

They know who you are now, Mikie. That last pm you got from me was through messenger :)

You bastard. ;)

[Steelharp]

So glad I have an old "stupid" flip phone.

[Junkstack]

What's funny is that most of this stuff can usually be turned off in settings, and as CZ9mm said, it's so the app can be used to share names, pictures, contacts, etc. This is no different from many other apps out there. If you look above the keyboard there are icons to send a picture, take a picture, record a message, and other stuff. The app needs access to those programs to be able to do that. 

 

 

The sky is falling!!

Edited August 8, 2014 by Junkstack

[NoBanStan]

Well, we already know facebook has been doing social experiments on its users. Why would additional mandatory privacy intrusion be a shock? There's a simple fix though..... stop using facebook.

 

I cancelled my account years ago and oddly enough, the world didn't stop revolving.

 

Remember back in the early days of the internet when we lived by the rule "don't identify yourself"?

[mikegideon]

I have been using messenger for awhile. It's a GREAT app. Since my girlfriend lives in Kentucky, we spend a lot of time communicating via technology. There is a "phone" feature in the application that allows you to do a voice call with another messenger user. Since Verizon service sucks at my house, we use that feature a lot. I also use it with my lead guy at the office. I normally work from home. It uses your wifi connection instead of cellular, so the app does have control over bandwidth. It also doesn't drop the call every time you turn your head.

 

Anyway... been using it for months. No evil stuff has happened to me yet. I have no problem with how Facebook uses information.

[TripleDigitRide]

This is a non-issue. People who don't understand how today's technology works get freaked out by this kind of stuff.

[strickj]

Now, I don't even use FaceBook because but I don't necessarily go along with the hype here. That is not to say that they aren't doing a lot of things against privacy, but:

 

Change the state of network connectivity (I could not really think of a reason for this unless it has something to do with identifying when the phone is on cellular vs WiFi [for features such as only send photos on WiFi])

 

Call phone numbers and send SMS messages (I don't even know 100% what the app is for but this probably is there so you can click the "Invite Friends to FaceBook Messenger" button and then it sends them a text message doing so)

 

Record audio, and take pictures and videos, at any time (This is there so within the Messenger app you can click the photo button to take a photo within the app and send it along)

 

Read your phone’s call log, including info about incoming and outgoing calls (Not 100%. Could be used to see who you call most in order to give you a "favorites/most contacted" list so you can quick contact those people without adding them all to the list manually.

 

Read your contact data, including who you call and email and how often (This is probably so that you can click a button titled "Find My Contacts on FaceBook". It would dig through your contact data and try to match that data with people on Facebook. Then it shows you a list of who you want to add as a friend.

 

Read personal profile information stored on your device (This probably isn't as scary as it sounds. This is probably the permission used to read/write data within it's own FaceBook directory.

 

Get a list of accounts known by the phone, or other apps you use (Sort of lost on this one.)

 

But yes, overall most of those permissions are widely and uniformly used against all apps on both (iOS and Android) mobile operating systems.

 

 

 

 

Now, unless I am completely misinformed, the funny thing is that at least on iOS, a lot of the things that writer is trying to stirrup are not even possible because each app is sort of its own "sandbox". Generally speaking, an app on iOS cannot, for example, go out and copy user data from other apps and then send it to home base.

 

Once again, I don't even use FaceBook for several completely different reasons. But I don't see this as "Facebook Crosses The Line" but rather "More of the Same". If you were to start digging into permissions for practically any app you would use, I bet an alarmist writer could write an article equally "frightening" or worse for most of them.

 

I'd say this.

Sounds like more of the same to me.

 

 

 

Call phone numbers and send SMS messages

I have received text messages and invites from apps on my friends' phones. Can't say I've ever received any unwanted text spam from the messenger app.

[mikegideon]

SPAM is a very low quality form of marketing, and gets low quality results. It would destroy Facebook's credibility. They are doing some pretty smart marketing. When I browse for a product on certain sites, the next thing i know, that product shows up in my news feed on Facebook. That doesn't bother me at all. And, it's very effective marketing.

 

They aren't going to waste their time with petty scams. They're targeting the huge bucks... something I don't have.

[Wyldk2]

It has already been said that the government can access your phones no matter if you turn it off or not. The only way to keep the gov goons out is to remove your battery. So I have a Samsung s4( removable battery ) If I choose. Or if i felt i needed complete privacy, I leave the phone in the truck and go about my day.

[Guest stinkfoot]

Simple solution= dont book of face. Check

[bersaguy]

So glad I have an old "stupid" flip phone.

I still use the old flip phone to Mikey and my phone company hates me because when they started pushing all these Smart(dumb) phones I bought 5 identical flip phones and so far i have worn 1 out in last 3 years and cost me 10 bucks to have them turn on another one and move all my phone book over to it. I have no apps on it. I have this great big package of services I could be using right now that have been added to my original package over the past several years but bill remains the same because I don't use any of them. My Flip Phone will even take pictures but I won't let them turn it on so I can send them to people. I can take pictures. Just not send them to folks.......... :rock: I have a phone to do 5 things and 5 things only. Make calls, get calls, voice mail calls I miss, caller ID and Text messages. That's it. No Wifi, no internet, no this and no that. It's just a phone. Right now I have enough flip phones to out live me probably............... :rofl: :rofl: :up:

[tnguy]

Part of the issue is that Android's permissions are a "take it or leave it" affair where you either accept all the options or the app doesn't install. There are some apps out there that allow you to modify an applications permissions after the fact (with varying levels of success) and I believe it was actually build-in on one of the newer releases of Android until Google took it out.

 

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/android-app-ops/

Edited August 8, 2014 by tnguy

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Sigh...

More  stuff  for people to over react.....

[Wingshooter]

I don't use FB, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing :) My wife is on it all the time though. I just haven't convinced myself that I need to tell everyone else my every move, and I don't care what my classmates from high school are eating for lunch, lol. I guess I just don't have time for it. If I was a FB'r I would probably just go ahead and install the app because I think your info is already out there from FB anyway.

[mikegideon]

I couldn't function without a smartphone, especially in my job. I'm on my 5th one. Before that, it was a Blackberry email device and a Startac.

Edited August 8, 2014 by mikegideon

[tnguy]

Heh, voice is probably the one thing I could most do without on my smartphone.

 

Don't use facebook too often. I think for some people (not all), it's just a way to try and pretend that their meaningless existence isn't so meaningless. It does have its uses though.

[mikegideon]

I have friends all over the US, and in several other countries. No other way for me to keep track of them as well as I do.

[Wingshooter]

I admit, I'd be lost without my smartphone. Running a Galaxy S4 right now. I just won't do FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc. It's just me because I know it has useful purpose for lots of people. I burn the phone and ipad up with TGO (and a couple other forums) though, lol.