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Facebook can now read your texts

tony.calileo.com

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Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#81

Post by eruditely »

nikolak wrote: post #74

1. This has been a thing for quite a while now, there have been numerous articles about this. This is nothing new, although it may have not rolled out to all users. 2. Facebook gives explanation of all the permissions they need, including read SMS one, here: https://www.facebook.com/help/210676372433246 3. This is more android permission issue than specifically Facebook app one. Facebook, in order to implement automa…

Why not just disable the feature if you want to deny it? Seems like a pretty shit feature if you ask me.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#82

Post by DonGateley »

SMS is nothing. There are now many Android apps that demand the right to turn on your microphone any time they want to without notifying you. If you carry an Android phone and are not really careful about permissions you are carrying a wire.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#83

Post by vl »

beedogs wrote: post #19
zobzu wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

use cyanogenmod + privacy mode, you can disable what the app can do. for example, you can disable that. app still works, it just gets an empty sms list.

Sure would be nice if someone would jailbreak the iPhone, so we could have these sorts of options in our little walled-gardens too.

Funny you say that, because iOS already has all these little options. What's better, apps still get installed and users don't have to make this decision upfront. When permission is required for the first time, dialog box pops up, and then you can refuse each permission individually - i.e. you can give Facebook access to location so you can check in, but block access to contacts.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#84

Post by hornetblack »

simonsarris wrote: post #3

Is there any recourse short of "don't use the app" that regular users have against this sort of thing? Is there no meaningful way to push back against Facebook for demanding this permission?

I just haven't updated facebook. I'm sure it's not great for security.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#85

Post by robotfelix »

jblz wrote: post #15
jblz wrote: post #9

"Read your text messages (SMS or MMS) If you add a phone number to your account, this allows us to confirm your phone number automatically by finding the confirmation code that we send via text message." That's a pretty crap feature to use to justify this. https://www.facebook.com/help/210676372433246

Looks like Twitter is doing something similar. One of the commenters here shows some decompiled code: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/57726/twitter-rec...

Yep, both Twitter and Facebook's apps seemed to start asking for this permission around the same time - they seem to be oblivious to how scary "Read your text messages" sounds to anyone vaguely concerned about privacy. I'm holding off on updating for now.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#86

Post by foxylad »

Access to all your texts is scary, but what about "Add or modify calendar events and send emails to guests without owner's knowledge ...". I feel dirty just reading that - I'm so glad I've broken my Facebook habit.

Facebook's value proposition is going downhill fast. All but the dumbest users are now very careful about what they allow FB to know, if they stay at all. I suggest that their hallowed social graph contains less and less reliable info about the more valuable demographics.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#87

Post by auxbuss »

victorhooi wrote: post #59
JohnTHaller wrote: post #39

Don't forget that Google Hangouts now has access to all your texts, too, now.

Err, yes, but on any modern version of Android, Google Hangouts is the SMS app - so I thing that's a bit of a red herring, and completely unrelated.

I'm not sure why you consider that a red herring. You can disable Hangouts and Android will fall back to the standard Messaging app.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#89

Post by annnnd »

Maakuth wrote: post #62
zobzu wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

use cyanogenmod + privacy mode, you can disable what the app can do. for example, you can disable that. app still works, it just gets an empty sms list.

This feature is nowadays called Privacy Guard and it works so well that I have it on by default for all apps. With the exception of apps that actually need to read my contacts (say WhatsApp), I have not had to disable it for any applications and haven't seen any complications. For example Facebook and Twitter apps, which require a whole rainbow of permissions, function just the way they used to. I've never made a lot…

This sounds excellent, I can't believe I never tried it yet! Of course, this should be part of core Android, but I guess there is no hope for that (given that Google makes its dough on advertising).

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#90

Post by urza »

I have about 10 apps that I refuse to update, because they want some new permissions that I'm not willing to grant them. It is sometimes hard to find apps that respect your privacy and don't request absurd permissions.
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