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    Facebook Denies Looking At Your Text Messages [VIDEO]

    By Alex Fitzpatrick | Mashable – Mon, Feb 27, 2012

    Facebook denied a report Monday from the Sunday Times in London that the company is reading text messages sent by users that have installed its popular app on their mobile phones.

    [More from Mashable: Groupon Reports Mobile App Growth, International Expansion Plans]

    "The Sunday Times has done some creative conspiracy theorizing but the suggestion that we’re secretly reading people’s texts is ridiculous,” said Iian Mackenzie, Facebook's head of European communications in a post entitled "Today's Bad Journalism."

    An earlier report in the Sunday Times suggested that Facebook was ogling users' private texts based on the Facebook for Android app's permissions. Those permissions seem to allow the Facebook app to view text messages stored on the installer's phone.

    [More from Mashable: Facebook: We Send 60 Million People to Other Mobile Apps Every Month]

    However, Facebook has now strongly denied that it reads users' text messages. Instead, Facebook says, the text-reading permission was put into place in anticipation of a text-integration feature currently being tested by the company.

    “. . . the permission is clearly disclosed on the app page in the Android marketplace and is in anticipation of new features that enable users to integrate Facebook features with their texts," said Mackenzie. "However, other than some very limited testing, we haven’t launched anything so we’re not using the permission. If we do, it will be obvious to users what’s happening. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.”

    Mackenzie suggested that concerned users run a test to see exactly what data is being exchanged between a phone running the Facebook app and the company's servers. He also made sure to tell readers that his post shouldn't be interpreted as an announcement of a new messenger service.

    "Just as an aside... we didn't say we're launching a messenger product," said Mackenzie. "Any proper technology journalist will tell you that there are any number of things you can use SMS for, such as carrier billing."

    Do you always check the permissions of a new app you download? Do you think app developers should be more transparent about why you need to agree to certain permissions before installing an app? Sound off in the comments below.

    Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ymgerman

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     

    3 comments

    • paco
      paco  •  New Orleans, Louisiana  •  2 mths ago
      facebook or any other social hang out for that matter, shouldn't be reading any of our privet message's, we have allowed to many apps, and third party advertising company's to much reign over our personal lives !, and for what !? so they can get rich in more ways than money.. information is rich in power, and any one with it is a very wealthy individual... we have to start looking up and out again , instead of down and at a silly game or app on our phones and computers... it's jus my opinion " I believe they "are" reading our messages and everything else.. and it's jus not them,, it's our government too.. thats why they won't do anything about it... but in their greed to know everything on us, will only backfire on them as well,, bcuz,, if they don't do anything about it as far as making laws to enforce privacy, they too are subject to be... this is where i have to be very careful in what i say.. i dont want big brother to say im a spy... but !, whats good for the goose is good for the gander.. M jus say N...
    • gia
      gia  •  2 mths ago
      My question is, why is Facebook interested in reading people's messages at all? With or without permission. Other than to serve their own purpose, I can't think of one logical reason for them to even consider doing this any more than I can imagine the US Postal service asking permission to open and read our mail. It doesn't matter that the program has yet to be launched or they have not used the permission given. It should NOT BE ALLOWED! EVER! As with the US Mail, it should be made a federal offense to open and read private a citizen's private messages with all the penalties and fines imposed, including jail time for the offenders. This idea is insidious and very frightening
    • J K
      J K  •  2 mths ago
      Mark Zuckerber also tried denying that he carelessly handled people's SS #'s... until the chat came out.
     Post a comment
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