Im started to get really sick n tired of people posting crap about the Facebook Messenger app permissions thing. Huffington Post should have that article revoked for the amount of misinformation they presented. That was NOT a journalistic article, it was plain and simple click baiting, fear mongering, BULLSHIT. First, there is a HUGE difference between Terms of Service (as they call) and App Permissions (which is what it really is) Secondly, now that we got that squared away, lets be 100% perfectly and honestly clear here. Facebook does not, cannot, has no access to write those pieces of text AT ALL. Those really scary lines of text about recording audio and video and other things? Those are written by GOOGLE, and cover THE ANDROID OS as a whole. Next, Applications can request permission GROUPS, not individual permissions. Because of this, even though Facebook may only want one simple little permission for a little service, it has to request an entire grouping of permissions. This is because this is what the Android App ecosystem and security system is built around. Again, Facebook has ZERO control over these groupings. Lastly, again with the horrible verbiage that is used for the permissions. Google took it upon themselves to list the absolute WORST case scenario for each permissions group, not what is ACTUALLY going to happen. The ability to record audio or take photos? Yeah, Facebook has the ability to record and send videos. Of COURSE it needs permission to record audio/video to be able to do this! Facebook wants access to your phones contact list? Of COURSE it does, because they have this amazing feature where itll sync certain pieces of information between your Facebook contacts and your phone. When a Facebook user updates their profile picture, it also shows up in my phones contact list automatically! Having 10+ friends with the same first name (Andrea), damn right I want them to have pictures in my contact list so I can tell them apart without having to remember everyones last name too! And on a final additional note: Facebook without getting angry about it, put up a nice little quick reference guide to some of the permissions and why theyre asking for them: https://facebook/help/210676372433246 If you dont like the security model in use, with verbiage showcasing the worst possible case scenario, then please go back to your Windows desktop or Symbian phone which never asked you for permissions to begin with (and just did all of this without even asking) ... oh, and another additional note: honestly go through ALL of the apps installed on your phone, and see how theyre requesting these EXACT same permission groups for the EXACT same reasons of providing similar useful services ... then ask yourself why nobody is pissed at anyone but Facebook?
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 08:04:12 +0000
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