Work Around For Facebook Forcing Messaging App

Work Around For Facebook Forcing Messaging App

by Amanda Blain
Published: Last Updated on
To all those in an outrage against Facebook Forcing You To Use Their Messenger App….

Just go to www.facebook.com instead in your mobile browser. You can still message your friends like you always do. No app required. In Fact if you are one of the millions of people who have installed the app(Either App.. FB itself OR messenger)… take a moment to look at the privacy you have given up to do such a thing on your phone.

My associate   wrote this in a popular article awhile ago – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-fiorella/the-insidiousness-of-face_b_4365645.html

 If you're one of those 1,000,000,000 people who have downloaded this android app (iphone is similar), take a moment to read the following permissions you've accepted.
In-app purchases
An app can ask you to make purchases inside the app.
Device & app history
An app can use one or more of the following:
Read sensitive log data
Retrieve system internal state
Read your web bookmarks and history
Retrieve running apps
Cellular data settings
An app can use settings that control your mobile data connection and potentially the data you receive.
Identity
An app can use your account and/or profile information on your device.
Identity access may include the ability to:
Find accounts on the device
Read your own contact card (example: name and contact information)
Modify your own contact card
Add or remove accounts
Contacts/Calendar
An app can use your device's contacts and/or calendar information.
Contacts and calendar access may include the ability to:
Read your contacts
Modify your contacts
Read calendar events plus confidential information
Add or modify calendar events and send email to guests without owners' knowledge
Location
An app can use your device's location.
Location access may include:
Approximate location (network-based)
Precise location (GPS and network-based)
Access extra location provider commands
GPS access
SMS
An app can use your device's text messaging (SMS) and/or multimedia media messaging service (MMS). This group may include the ability to use text, picture, or video messages.
Note: Depending on your plan, you may be charged by your carrier for text or multimedia messages. SMS access may include the ability to:
Receive text messages (SMS)
Read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
Receive text messages (MMS, like a picture or video message)
Edit your text messages (SMS or MMS)
Send SMS messages; this may cost you money
Receive text messages (WAP)
Phone
An app can use your phone and/or its call history.
Note: Depending on your plan, you may be charged by your carrier for phone calls.
Phone access may include the ability to:
Directly call phone numbers; this may cost you money
Write call log (example: call history)
Read call log
Reroute outgoing calls
Modify phone state
Make calls without your intervention
Photos/Media/Files
An app can use files or data stored on your device.
Photos/Media/Files access may include the ability to:
Read the contents of your USB storage (example: SD card)
Modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Format external storage
Mount or unmount external storage
Camera/Microphone
An app can use your device's camera and/or microphone.
Camera and microphone access may include the ability to:
Take pictures and videos
Record audio
Record video
Wi-Fi connection information
An app can access your device's Wi-Fi connection information, like if Wi-Fi is turned on and the name(s) of connected devices.
Wi-Fi connection information access may include the ability to:
View Wi-Fi connections
Device ID & call information
An app can access your device ID(s), phone number, whether you're on the phone, and the number connected by a call.
Device ID & call information may include the ability to:
Read phone status and identity
Other
An app can use custom settings provided by your device manufacturer or application-specific permissions.
Note: If an app adds a permission that is in the "Other" group, you'll always be asked to review the change before downloading an update.
Other access may include the ability to:
Read your social stream (on some social networks
Write to your social stream (on some social networks)
Access subscribed feeds
When you review individual permissions, all permissions, including those not displayed in the permissions screen, will be shown in the "Other" group.

Yes many of these may be available for "legit good reasons" but you take a risk that a hacker, or someday facebook itself will own your phone. Facebook's product it sells is YOU. Don't give all this information to them because you can't text, call, email or use another chat program with less permissions. 

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Destiny Moore
Destiny Moore
10 years ago

i wish lol

Alex Chapoñan Galvez
Alex Chapoñan Galvez
10 years ago

& google

Malik Umer Farooq
Malik Umer Farooq
10 years ago

ahaahahah

Wendy W
Wendy W
10 years ago

I'm glad for the stand alone fb messenger. Then I don't have to look at fb to connect with family and friends who won't leave fb.

Destiny Moore
Destiny Moore
10 years ago

haha i wish

Warren Hardison
Warren Hardison
10 years ago

Compare those permissions to permissions you're already (probably) granting the Facebook app (or many others) on your phone and then come back with your outrage.

Khyler Drake
Khyler Drake
10 years ago

I said goodbye to FB. A social networking platform that big is not something I want seeing my interactions with family and friends.

Ruby Grace
Ruby Grace
10 years ago

Okay! !

Warren Hardison
Warren Hardison
10 years ago

+Khyler Drake, Google harvests as much, if not more, data on your interactions.

Also, love the reference with your G+ Name.

doug briggs
doug briggs
10 years ago

Thanks for the info!

Frederico Chilibreath
Frederico Chilibreath
10 years ago

Only a fool (or a stupid teenager) would go on FB … and yet millions of adults who should know better do it.  Go figure.

Rebecca Wolfe
Rebecca Wolfe
10 years ago

"i'm on twitter , 'cause my family's on face book."

ubuntunerd
ubuntunerd
10 years ago

F Facebook !!!

Juan Pool
Juan Pool
10 years ago

Wow like….

Warren Hardison
Warren Hardison
10 years ago

+Frederico Chilibreath …and how is it different from using Google+?

Jan Erik Gulliksen
Jan Erik Gulliksen
10 years ago

Or just listening

Dustin Carpenter
Dustin Carpenter
10 years ago

The funniest part of all this is that the regular Facebook app has had all these same permissions for months…

YinYang youis Roland J. Ruttledge
YinYang youis Roland J. Ruttledge
10 years ago

I'm G+ only.  Good evening, have a great week:)

KHAWAR IQBAL
KHAWAR IQBAL
10 years ago

Hi

Frederico Chilibreath
Frederico Chilibreath
10 years ago

+Warren Hardison Less personal information  on the line.

Elaine Lindsay
Elaine Lindsay
10 years ago

Great +Amanda Blain  thank you

Lanisha Daniels
Lanisha Daniels
10 years ago

fr

Yahya Z
Yahya Z
10 years ago

سلام

Amanda Blain
Amanda Blain
10 years ago

As Mentioned in this post… you should remove all Faceybook apps since they have all these permissions…  and if you must use it.. just use the mobile browser version.

THe main difference between Google and Facebook IMO… Is google allows you to choose which parts you want.. You want to get better location stuff? you grant that "specific" permission to Google… If you don't you can turn it Off. There is no option on Faceybook.. Its Do all Or Die. The lack of choice is a big difference to me…. 

Manuel Prz
Manuel Prz
10 years ago

What about google are my pics there private as well? Or facebook friends can see them?

Kevin Bragdon
Kevin Bragdon
10 years ago

Sux

Scott Siccardi
Scott Siccardi
10 years ago

…in all fairness to facebook, this is more an Android Permissions issue than a FB Permissions issue.
Android sets the perameters that must be followed by all the apps for their platform. If your app has certain features, they must have those permissions.
From what I understand, which I could be wrong :), Apple apps don't have the same kind of permissions until you actually go to use that feature of the app.
All that said, online is a pretty permiable space to begin with. If you have online anything, you are at risk. Leverage it wisely. 🙂

Rob Legend
Rob Legend
10 years ago

See you all on ello.co

Amanda Blain
Amanda Blain
10 years ago

Although partly true +Scott Siccardi … Facebook.com itself has similar sketchy privacy issues and blanket statements for permissions.
Although its working on improving it, they still fall short for me most of the time and I have accepted ANYTHING on FB is sold/belongs to FB to do what they want with.

Best bet. Not use any of their Apps that will have access to your entire phone. If i wanted that I would have used that FB browser phone that no one used because… no one wanted FB to control their phone. Irony.

and Ello is blah and wont last +Rob Legend …

Rob Legend
Rob Legend
10 years ago

How can you say such a thing about ello +Amanda Blain?

Burger David
Burger David
10 years ago

Sorry to tell you, but facebook let the CIA have all your info since the beginning. Google has your info too, why does it matter? Did you think that leaders of today would be any different from leaders in the past?-I'm BURGER 

John Gilmore
John Gilmore
10 years ago

I got round this with no problem. I just removed Facebook from my life

Amanda Blain
Amanda Blain
10 years ago

Those kinds of statements.. "Who cares its hopeless" are horribly destructive. It allows people to stay uneducated and just accept what is presented and go with the flow. You CAN say no to Facebook and not install their Apps or not use their product.

Robert Parker
Robert Parker
10 years ago

I don't get the upset over the messenger app. The FB app itself has been a much more worrisome app since it was released. It's a memory/bandwidth hog that preloads vids in the background and accesses all of the same content on your phone as the messenger app. I had the messenger app installed alone for a year.. and just used my browser to check newsfeed for this reason. Now I don't use either. Just seems silly to get upset about the messenger app if you've already been using the FB app this whole time..

Patrick Gustafson
Patrick Gustafson
10 years ago

You can also use open souce program called Pidgin, its supporting facebook chat/message by default.

Tommi Leroy
Tommi Leroy
10 years ago

mashable.com/2014/08/11/stop-freaking-out-about-facebook-messenger-app-permissions/

Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews
10 years ago

Well if they are watching me they must be awfully bored. Get a life.

Graeme Mcfee
Graeme Mcfee
10 years ago

Facebooks pish an invasion of privacy

Peter Fox
Peter Fox
10 years ago

If rooted use permissions manager and block the ones you don't want it to have and boom solved, I did it

Hind Trii
Hind Trii
10 years ago

I hate Facebook :/

Jim Harrington
Jim Harrington
10 years ago

Or… you could delete your facebook account, like I did !

Sheri B.
Sheri B.
10 years ago

So is Google and the NSA

Mustafa Muhammad
Mustafa Muhammad
10 years ago

True 'dat.

Hanley Wilcoxen
Hanley Wilcoxen
10 years ago

this is pretty old — they've required this for a while. I have been only using the browser since like a long time ago.  this comment is helpful in some way.  

Kevin McCormick
Kevin McCormick
10 years ago

+Rebecca Wolfe Twitter has some questionable permissions also.

Skylar McOwen
Skylar McOwen
10 years ago

O.O

Kathy Tarrance
Kathy Tarrance
10 years ago

good thing i cant download apps on my phone..

tedsu yaa
tedsu yaa
10 years ago

Itu saya sudah tahu dari dulu, mereka mengawasi dan mengambil data kita, itu yang dilakukan oleh aplikasi.

Constantin Codo
Constantin Codo
10 years ago

il y a traux du desordre su facebook

Brandon R
Brandon R
10 years ago

+Wendy W I thought about doing that but… Nah!

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