What Does Facebook Want with Your Phone Number?
What Does Facebook Want with Your Phone Number?
Posted 08/12/2011 at 7:29am
| by Paul Lilly
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There are obvious reasons you don't go scribbling your phone number on restroom walls or handing out your digits willy nilly. In theory, only the people you care to talk with should have your number. If that's the case, are you worred about Facebook harvesting your contact information? The social networking site has come under fire for collecting not just your phone number, but also numbers stored in your phone.
Fox News says there's a statement making the rounds on Facebook warning users of what's going on with their phone details and contacts list. The fear is that Facebook is gathering these numbers even if you've never given the site permission to do so. Don't believe it, says Facebook.
"Rumors claiming that your phone contacts are visible to everyone on Facebook are false. Our Contacts list, formerly called Phonebook, has existed for a long time," Facebook posted on its website. "The phone numbers listed there were either added by your friends themselves and made visible to you, or you have previously synced your phone contacts with Facebook. Just like on your phone, only you can see these numbers."
You can view what has some privacy advocates up in arms by clicking Account in the upper right corner, Edit Friends, and then Contacts in the left-hand pane. Facebook describes it as being "like a phonebook that only you can see," and at least one security researcher says it's to your benefit to sync information from your phone so you can easily find friends and connect with them. At the same time, there's some concern with Facebook having access to all that data.
"In some ways, Facebook is attempting to be very helpful," Don Debolt, director of threat research for Total Defense, told Fox News. "But how exactly they are using this information isn't exactly clear. We don't know how our data is being used, we don't know how our data is being monetized."
If nothing else, Debolt says this should serve as a "wake-up call" for parents of teenagers who use the service and own a mobile phone.
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codepath
August 15, 2011 at 7:42am
Personally, I am loving G+ and hope Google buries Facebook alive (oh wait. strike that, could be a possible Zombie Apocalyse scenario). But, seriously, I hate Facebook's practices regarding privacy and security and would love to see a mass migration to G+ when it opens up.
But I do not think that they harvested the contacts on your phone in a clandestine way (other than having the contact sync feature ON by default). If they REALLY wanted to harvest your contacts without permission, the app would just do it. There would not be a setting which could tip you off. That would be like, if I robbed your house and left a note saying that if you want me to stop robbing you to lock the door.
They simply added a "feature" to sync contacts with the web version. I assume this also will help with the new Skype integrations coming. Again, this featuer being enabled by defatult is the problem. It's a "hide in plain sight" situation.
Now. are they selling that data once they get it? You damn skippy, they are! Is that wrong? The way they are doing it, yes. The reason they are doing it, no. The site is free to users, advertising alone cannot pay for the massive server farms and staff it takes to accomodate 750 million users.
Like Steve Martin in "The Jerk" said, "Wait a minute! It's a profit deal. Well, that changes everything."
arfisalf
August 14, 2011 at 12:01am
After reading this article, i decided to actually check my FB...
these Mother@#$#s actually do have all my numbers in my contacts site off my iphone.
I don't believe this. There are numbers that doesnt even belong to people in the United States and who dont even have facebook accounts. The number belongs to family who are in their 50's and 60's who have never even used a computer or smartphone. I have these phone numbers from over seas stored only in my iphone and nowhere else...... my iphone facebook app or on my pc facebook page NEVER asked to ever allow to sync my contacts list from my phone to their app or FB website.
UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!! THE SHEER BALLS ON THIS COMPANY!!
Stupid blind people like myself allow nonsense to happen. Made something so useless in life so popular that they dictate our privacy!
ENOUGH!!!!
chop_slap
March 21, 2012 at 7:16am
Its your fault. You bought an Apple and use Facebook. SHAME ON YOU!!! Now not only do they have all of your info, but your friends' and family's also. Oh well, someday people might care that these companies treat you like this.
RUSENSITIVESWEETNESS
August 13, 2011 at 7:34am
Google does the same thing via tracking cookies. Sign up for a Gmail account, and it won't be long before they've collected data on every other email account you have--without your permission. Imagine my surprise when Google started greeting me with the name of an email account I never, ever volunteered.
livebriand
August 14, 2011 at 2:08pm
But at least you can have your browser clear cookies when you close it. With the FB app, I don't think you have as many options.
r3dd4wg
August 12, 2011 at 2:25pm
I told friends this was happening and they didn't believe me. How did I know FB was doing this? Because FB started suggesting to me that "Jane" is on FB and do I want to friend her. Well, I wasn't looking for "Jane" on FB and after thinking about it, the only way FB would know that I know "Jane" is through my contact list on my phone, which is the only place I have "Jane's" e-mail address stored.
Now I'm wondering what else they "snooped" off my phone.
codepath
August 15, 2011 at 7:26am
It could possibly be that someone you know (or someone who knows someone you know) on Facebook knows someone named Jane (common name), so FB tried to make a connection. And if the app ever did sync, I believe it is a two-way sync.
ballsyacks
August 12, 2011 at 10:15am
Hey Anonymous I think november 5th is a little too far away...
aknolidge
August 12, 2011 at 12:07pm
Really looking forward for an earlier date, take 'em all take google and CNN for all I care our government corrupted as is. lol
cj100570
August 12, 2011 at 10:13am
The management at Facebook is a den of liars. I just checked and there are contact names and numbers on Facebook that shouldn't be there. They are friends and family that aren't on Facebook and the Facebook app on my phone has never once asked for permission to scan or upload those friends to Facebook. The app has only asked to stnch with existing Facebook contacts.
codepath
August 15, 2011 at 7:23am
In that last sentence, if instead of "stnch", you meant "sync", then it must have, well, synced. Facebook contacts are now on your phone, and you phone contacts are now in Facebook.
If, however, you meant "stench", well, I got nothing.
Eoraptor
August 12, 2011 at 8:03am
And of course, this has no bearing on the arsenine game and app producers, who have been caught more than once harvesting data without permission, or indeed even with permission through a EULA. Frankly, considering faceplace's track record on respecting customer privacey and settings, I'd not only beleive this, but that they intend to start using it to text spam for them selves of for their advertisers, indeed if that has not happened already either right from facebook or from more than a few of its "strategic partners".
I'll be over on G+ with the cool kids.
siramic
August 12, 2011 at 9:34am
I 2nd that, I was just checking on G+ yesterday, but it's still closed to new "beta" users.
Eoraptor
August 12, 2011 at 5:05pm
it's now like Gmail was in its later beta stages, users each have 150 invites, so just find someone who has it and ask nicely
codepath
August 15, 2011 at 7:19am
I still have all 150 invites available to me. The problem is that Google slammed the door shut. All inviting is on hold for now. I have sent many but none arrive at their destination.
So, yeah. It's clsed.
Zoandar
August 12, 2011 at 7:42am
As more and more people turn away from landline service and cut their cable TV, my concern is that the powers that be may someday give a green light to mobile phone number telemarketing. Perhaps Facebook may be gathering their resources for that day.
Wareagle
August 12, 2011 at 9:07am
And if Futurama is correct, they'll start putting ads in our dreams.
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