31–40 of 478 posts
When people suggested phone 2fa was a data collection scheme they were hushed and called tinfoils.
Who wants a social security number when you've got someone's phone number?
The reason I never give fb my mobile is if you use a pseudonym account, it will suggest your profile as a friend to anyone who has your mobile in their phone contact list (eg ex-partners, stalkers, employers, drug dealers). Found that one out the hard way. I know Zuck wants me to preemptively upload my nudes, but still.
Depending on the owner's security settings, Facebook will often suggest the profile of the person in the type-aheaded search results.
The other really stupid thing, besides generally hurting the adoption of 2FA forever, is that they probably did it for hardly more than scraps, compared to their conventional add targeting capabilities. Maybe I am completely wrong about this, but I'm pretty convinced that almost all of the ad spending for that feature would have reached Facebook's coffers anyways had it not been available.
And the sad truth is that the vast majority of people will not be deterred by, be aware of, or even understand the fact that Facebook is abusing their phone number in this way, so as far as Facebook is concerned it's a small bump in the long road to increased profitability.
Another personal observation. I have an Instagram account that I thought was fully incognito. I never connected it to any other social account, I used a separate email for authentication etc. Just days after the Instagram founders left Facebook I started receiving friend suggestion on my IG that were very very relevant. Those were people I knew in real life and mostly connected via Facebook but not only. I shouldn't…
When data collection and advertising companies such as Facebook (and Google) push a feature actually beneficial to users so aggressively – such as 2FA – during the sign-up process; you'd have to be naive to think it's for your benefit.
It's not 2007 any more... tech savvy users should know better than to trust such organisations with any scrap of additional personal information than absolutely necessary.
Phone numbers were not a secure 2FA anyway, and I've been using the TOTP alternative since it's been available... but I don't really see a problem with them using whatever to show "more relevant ads", if you don't want ads just use an ad blocker.