Facebook Messenger Concerns

[wildcard]

I have been hearing people talk about the Facebook Messenger app and the fact that it is now being forced on mobile users. Many feel that this is some type of privacy exploit by Facebook and I even saw one local news team that claimed that the app will allow Facebook to "use your phone's camera to spy on your every move".

This is fucking ridiculous and from the beginning I have been trying to explain that to people.

The concerns stem from the fact that the Android version of the app asks for permission to use your phone's camera and other permissions. This is simply because the app provides the ability to send pics in the messages you send.

The main thing to remember is that there are a lot of nerds in the world and if you are concerned with the safety of a particular app, you should trust those nerds (ars technica, PC Magazine online, me) to give you those warnings, not some local 'technology reporter' . . .

Official Facebook Response To The Accusations

Second Opinion

[shirepirate]

facebook is evil

[Spud17]

I don't think there's such a thing as privacy if you're on facebook, and imho, if you're constantly uploading your life to a third party, it's naive to expect it.

[LZA]

Agreed. You're in control of your privacy, which is why I don't get worried about these alerts. If your really that afraid something will get compromised, don't do it.

[wildcard]

The concern here isn't necessarily 'privacy' in the same sense that we anonymous Internet heroes have come to demand but more that a bunch of fucking idiots take the word of some technically ignorant scam spreading pieces of shit about something like this.

[shirepirate]

facebook's last concern is it's users' privacy.