Technology

Facebook Says It Wasn’t Reading Your Text Messages…But It Could

Facebook Responds to Accusations of Reading Your Text MessagesOver the weekend, Facebook was accused of reading Android users’ text messages if they had installed the Facebook app. Facebook has responded, and the short of the answer is that it doesn’t — but it could.

London’s Sunday Times (via Gizmodo) reported that the alleged viewing of text messages was in preparation for Facebook’s own messaging platform. Gizmodo reported that it was unclear if the supposed reading of messages continues to this day — or even if it really happened.

Fox News has more details from the Times, which includes Facebook allegedly admitting that it had been reading messages. In light of the fact that Facebook has said it doesn’t read texts, PC World speculates the Times may have “perhaps mistakenly [taken] an Android application‘s ’permissions requested’ as a literal representation of what the app will do once installed.”

Here’s more from Fox:

Facebook admitted reading text messages belonging to smartphone users who downloaded the social-networking app and said that it was accessing the data as part of a trial to launch its own messaging service [...]

A spokesman for Facebook says while nothing has been launched yet, users will be prompted to give permission when the feature debuts.

[...]

Other well-known companies accessing smartphone users’ personal data — such as text messages — include photo-sharing site Flickr, dating site Badoo and Yahoo Messenger, the paper said.

It claimed that some apps even allow companies to intercept phone calls — while others, such as YouTube, are capable of remotely accessing and operating users’ smartphone cameras to take photographs or videos at any time.

Here’s what Facebook told Business Insider about the accusation:

There is no reading of user text messages.

On the Android App store, the Facebook app permissions include SMS [short message service] read/write.

The reason it is on there is because we have done some testing (not with the general public) of products that require the SMS part of the phone to talk to the Facebook App.  That’s what the read&write refers to – the line of communication needed to integrate the two things.

Lots of communications apps use these permissions. Think of all those apps that act as replacements to the build-in sms software.

Facebook explains that the Times is jumping to conclusions that the company is working on a messaging feature and noted that the publication got it “completely wrong” in saying Facebook was reading text messages.

Therefore, even though it has the ability to access some smartphone text messages, which the company explicitly says it doesn’t do, it is the user who has given it permission to do so by installing the app. This brings up, PC World notes, the issue of if responsibility really lies with the user who allowed the app without fully reading or understanding the terms and conditions. Fox News reports that, according to a YouGov poll, 70 percent of smartphone users don’t read policies such as this before downloading apps.

Comments (28)

  • LOJ
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:04pm

    First theres news that Google is looking into people’s accounts, now this. I think many websites will be loosing customers, and business due to lack of privacy!

    Report Post »  
  • mjhoman
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 4:40pm

    I can not believe anyone that uses the internet would be as dumb as to think their information is not already being collected and used. To have such discussions is a sign that people are clueless, yet all the signs are all around them. Ever hear of marketing people? Email extraction software, adware, spyware, hacker’s, people selling list of past client’s… it’s all been around since the beginning of the worldwide web. If you are online, uploading photos, videos, and typing in all of your information on social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. then you are willingly offering it. In the technical world, you have little protection, but to choose to unplug… and who is going to do that when everyone one’s to be on top of the newest things? People seem to welcome what they get. Paying for cable and Dish? You get advertisements. Got a computer and online? Your probably getting lots og junk emails. Got a cell phone? Check your text messages for ads? Each new thing they come up with help businesses advertise… while customers pay for it in more than one way.

    Report Post »  
  • sparkspeaks
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 3:12pm

    I KNOW that it (FB) was watching and reading. I believe that it was based on trigger words in messages, because I sat and watched a message that I was sending to my facebook friends be erased backwards 3 times. It was information that I was learning from GBTV. I always titled my messages, “NOT GOING QUIETLY!” As I typed and would complete my message, it would begin erasing backwards. I would retype the entire thing and it did it again, and again. I shut down my account, permanently! I have had noting to do with it since. I am wondering if anyone else experienced anything similar. I would appreciate knowing.

    Report Post » sparkspeaks  
  • BuckDoyle4933
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 2:00pm

    Facebook and any other “social” networking is killing us as a nation. And now that Zuckerberg gives information to the government like candy! No one in my area cannot go one day without talking about Facebook it’s sad. Facebook and every “social” networking site has to be deleted off the internet before this crap gets even worse, but come on we all know that’s not gonna happen so get ready “Social” Networkers to be on watch by our government. And let’s use our common sense here our government is turning from the constitution to communism and/or SOCIALism. SOCIAL networking = our turn to SOCIALism!

    Report Post » BuckDoyle4933  
  • SerikFox
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 1:47pm

    I’m not surprised. I don’t care either. When I’m searching for something online it automatically goes to results that are relevant based on everything else I have done. Saves time. This is the same thing. If someone wants to stalk me with this then it’s their problem, my dog would probably eat them if they came anywhere near me.

    Report Post »  
  • BarackStalin
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 1:12pm

    What’s the big deal?

    So long as you ONLY HAVE OPINIONS SANCTIONED BY THE GOVERNMENT

    and DON’T USE SPEECH THAT IS “UNDESIRABLE”

    and BE CERTAIN TO MIMIC THE UNIVERSAL GROUPTHINK…

    then there should be no problem, right?

    Report Post » BarackStalin  
    • VoteBushIn12
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 1:53pm

      Yet again you are confusing Facebook with the government.

      Also you are an idiot.

      Report Post » VoteBushIn12  
    • BarackStalin
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 3:56pm

      Oh yeah because no corporations in America have any connection whatsoever to the government

      there’s no regulation
      there’s no lobbying
      there’s no corporate campaign contributions
      there’s no corporate welfare
      there’s no bailouts
      there’s no corruption

      there was no closed-door meeting between Facebook’s Zuckerberg, Apple’s Jobs, Google’s Schmidt and USA President Obama
      http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/02/17/obama-to-meet-with-jobs-zuckerberg-other-tech-executives/

      And there is absolutely no chance that Facebook or the American government would put MONEY AND POWER ahead of the interests of the AMERICAN PEOPLE, right?

      Take your head out of the sand and apply reason to my statement before throwing wild insults designed to marginalize and demonize original thought.

      You think that big business has no connection with government…and I’m the idiot?

      Find a mirror fast.

      Report Post » BarackStalin  
    • VoteBushIn12
      Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:48am

      @BARACKSTALIN

      How do you drive a car every day with such distrust for those around you?

      Why don‘t you name for me a Private Corporation that DOESN’T fit at least half (if not all) of those criteria.

      How can you make the assumption that by READING the text messages they are somehow preventing you from SENDING text messages that would conflict with their secret, government sponsored agenda?

      Get my head out of my ass? Sir, I am standing tall and breathing easy. Maybe you should consider medication to deal with your unfounded paranoia.

      Also you are an idiot.

      Report Post » VoteBushIn12  
    • BarackStalin
      Posted on February 28, 2012 at 2:34pm

      I would simply request that you ask yourself one simple question that I like to ask myself sometimes…

      Why?

      If they have no reason to care about what folks are writing in their text messages as you assert…
      then why bother?

      I don’t know the answer…
      BUT I KNOW IT‘S NOT BECAUSE THEY LOVE ME AND THEY WANT WHAT’S BEST FOR ME!

      also your baseless insults serve only to reflect much about you…and they mean nothing to me.

      Report Post » BarackStalin  
    • VoteBushIn12
      Posted on February 29, 2012 at 12:58am

      @BARACKSTALIN

      The more they know about you, the more value their data has to corporations looking to target you with advertising.

      By reading your text messages they can gain a deeper understanding of what you REALLY enjoy and the things that are REALLY going on in your life.

      That is why they read your text messages, so they can target you with more relevant ads, not so they can monitor some secret, progressive, communist aimed, Political Agenda.

      And I’m sorry my name calling is getting to you, but I find it really hard to tolerate stupid people so I sometime lose my patience.

      Report Post » VoteBushIn12  
  • tharpdevenport
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 1:07pm

    “Of COURSE we’re not reading your text messages!” [/Evil Cartoonish Supervillain Voice]

    “NO! FACEBOOK will do no such thing — our computer programs will scan over them for content and provide ads tailored to you and what you are doing. The GOVERNMENT will read the text emssages. And store them for all eternity.”

    Report Post » tharpdevenport  
  • SilentReader
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 12:21pm

    Oh I‘m sure that Facebook isn’t reading our text messages or our PMs! Just like they aren’t censoring us all the time! But they could! Well, of course! No problem there at all!

    Facebook, as much as they’ve changed the communication business, have become a fascist tyranny of an organization and they’ve let their power go to their heads. Just like Google!

    Report Post » SilentReader  
  • fcbs46
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 12:02pm

    Ya will my tablet and phone came preinstalled and you know that that means that you can not uninstall the app and even killing it with a start up killer won’t do the trick
    only rooting you phone or device will in able you to remove the app. So much for your end users fault.

    Report Post »  
    • Dougral Supports Israel
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 1:02pm

      This type of thing does not make me want to buy a tablet or smartphone. It seems that hardware and software vendors are trying to plug everyone into the massive data mining network that the new Internet companies are building. I‘d be happy to pay a little more for a device that didn’t have this stuff on it so that my privacy could be maintained.

      Report Post »  
  • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 11:47am

    “Facebook Says It Wasn’t Reading Your Text Messages…But It Could”
    ———————————————————————————
    Not if I quit using it and don’t use it anymore.

    Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • fcbs46
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 12:04pm

      You can’t if it came pre installed.

      Report Post »  
    • sparkspeaks
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 3:21pm

      Let me clarify further….I was not an android user. My cell phone does not have apps. I was using my pc when the incident occured. This was about 3 weeks ago now.

      Report Post » sparkspeaks  
  • Fried Okra
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 11:30am

    I deleted my facebook app awhile back and changed my google search to yahoo/bing. I rarely go to FB anymore anyways… plus if I want to check it… I can get it thru the internet browser. I do not trust these people at ALL.

    Report Post » Fried Okra  
    • sWampy
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 12:10pm

      To trust Microsoft more than any other is just insane, Gates is evil to the core, and he made sure his company was fully in the grips of evil before loosing the reigns.

      Report Post »  
  • oldguy49
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 11:27am

    when the united nations takes over the internet they won’t…or maybe they will be subcontractor

    Report Post »  
  • HorseCrazy
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 11:24am

    “It claimed that some apps even allow companies to intercept phone calls — while others, such as YouTube, are capable of remotely accessing and operating users’ smartphone cameras to take photographs or videos at any time”
    none of this is ok. I am actually shocked that they are doing this. Good for me I use none of this but this is a dangerous amount of power for seemingly innocent apps and things millions of people use without knowing. I for one am tired of this garbage and abuse of power.

    Report Post »  
  • 65Mustang
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 11:23am

    Does this mean that those of us who are not Obama lovers will end up in the FEMA camps for treason?

    Report Post »  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on February 27, 2012 at 11:23am

    Look, 99% of all text messages are “What R U doing? LOL, JK”. So, why would I care if they read a text message from my wife asking me to pick up milk from the store on my way home. I know, it’s my buisness and I have a right to privacy, but for the most part, I can’t see what Google or anyone else is going to get out of the majorities of the email/text mail. But, hey, as Chick McGee on the Bob and Tom show says, “Never write it down, don’t record it, don’t tape it, deny, deny, deny.”

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on February 27, 2012 at 12:28pm

      There is the ability to ‘sniff’ out keywords & phrases; regardless of context. I refer you to the earlier story of the little girl drawing a picture of a gun………..

      Report Post » Stoic one  

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