Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
Summary
Facebook will allow third-party developers to access users current address and phone numbers if already added to profiles, despite Congressional criticism. Here’s how to prevent it happening.
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Zack Whittaker
Biography
Zack Whittaker
Zack Whittaker is a British student at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK working towards a BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy.
In between studying, drinking, and occasionally sleeping, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.
Despite his young age, he may appear inexperienced and misguided, but don't be fooled. At the grand age of 22, he has already totalled up many years of work, education, knowledge and general (mis)adventure.
Facebook is to carry out its long awaited plan to allow third-party developers who write applications and games for the site, to access users current address and phone numbers if added to profiles.
However, Facebook in a letter said that it yet to decide how to inform users of this significant change, and only then will the new sharing of personal information go ahead.
Last month, Facebook was heavily criticised by two members of Congress over the privacy concern relating to these changes in permissions.
Three days after announcing the change, the social network backed down citing clear privacy worries about its own platform, holding their hands up and saying: “we are making changes to help ensure you only share this information when you intend to do so.”
One of the major arguments was how these changes would be highlighted to the user. As many just want to get to the application or game content, they overlook the formal ‘request for permission’as seen above, and simply allow the changes without a second glance; not realising what information is being handed to developers outside Facebook.
Since Facebook’s recent response, however, Rep. Ed Markey who previously complained, said that he was still not satisfied.
How to fix this privacy setting permanently
- Login to your Facebook profile.
- In the upper right hand-corner, click Profile.
- On this page, in the upper right-hand corner, click Edit Profile.
- On the left-hand side, click Contact Information.
- Under Phones, make sure that the middle box containing any phone numbers is left entirely blank.
- Under Address, make sure that this box containing your address is left entirely blank.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen.
These steps are detailed in the Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide, but this privacy setting in particular can be found by clicking here.
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Zack Whittaker is a British student studying an undergraduate degree in BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy at the University of Kent, Canterbury.
Disclosure
Zack Whittaker
I interned briefly at Microsoft UK Ltd. in 2006 but have since cut my ties. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.
I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and US organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.
I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010. Since then, I remain as an automatic student member of the organisation as a result of my studies at the university.
No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.
As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company which is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.
(Updated: 13th February 2011)
Biography
Zack Whittaker
Zack Whittaker is a British student at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK working towards a BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy.
In between studying, drinking, and occasionally sleeping, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.
Despite his young age, he may appear inexperienced and misguided, but don't be fooled. At the grand age of 22, he has already totalled up many years of work, education, knowledge and general (mis)adventure.
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Talkback Most Recent of 19 Talkback(s)
RE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
Another option is to use Facebook's street address and phone number. If you use Facebook a lot, it's almost like home.R.L. Parson03/02/2011 04:27 AM
RE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
@R.L. Parson Good suggestion. I was thinking about putting in a number that starts with 911.snoop0x7b03/02/2011 09:59 AMRE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
But they said they needed my phone number "for security reasons" How could I have been so foolish?! Hold on, just got and email from Bank America saying I have to send my login and password to them... gotta gorogergrice03/02/2011 04:03 PMhow about
just having some fake data there to satisfy the spammers greed, or better yet not having a facebook account at all....
OMG, I've just said it!...without facebook the world is comming to an end!...run for the hills!....Linux Geek03/02/2011 06:31 AM
Like I give Facebook my contact informtion
Here's a tip: 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago Illinois.HollywoodDog03/02/2011 06:58 AM
No facebook account??
it would be the end of the world!!!!
yeahNsaf03/02/2011 08:24 AM
RE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
How about:Office of the Speaker
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-0600
Fax: (202) 225-5117Give ol' John's office drones something to do.
Beechcraft03/02/2011 08:56 AM
Rather than ask people to gut out their info...
...which is at times very useful to friends--I use the Facebook app to find phone numbers of my friends--why not encourage people to READ what permissions apps request and to NOT ALLOW those that request personal info?JackLR03/02/2011 09:08 AM
RE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
@JackLR they will find a way to bypass the permission.Nsaf03/02/2011 09:58 AMRE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
@JackLR Personally, I don't trust that the privacy policy will remain the same. So rather than be taken by surprise when facebook either accidentally allows the phone numbers out without permission, or allows friends to share YOUR phone number I'm just removing it.snoop0x7b03/02/2011 10:00 AMRE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
@snoop0x7bDitto...disappointing that you have to do that so that you don't share it with developers and people who would try to sell the info. No doubt Facebooks terms of service that is too long for anyone to read holds them harmless from lawsuits.
striker6703/02/2011 11:07 AMI know who my friends are
@JackLR ... the reason Facebook wants this information from us is to sell it to marketers. If somebody legitimate wants to get in touch with me and finds me there, we'll get in touch outside of FB's prying eyes.I don't want to spend every day reading FB's new privacy policies and having to go in and change them. Marketers can just ring up Microsoft at 425 882-8080 and send mail to Wrigley Field at 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago.
HollywoodDog03/02/2011 11:44 AMRE: Facebook to resume phone and address sharing; How to prevent it
I am a increasingly frustrated parent. I am getting close to just yanking my family off of social media as this is really starting to get out of hand with Facebook and its blatant disrespect for what its users want to keep private. However, then I look like the "old curmudgeon" afraid of technology.Facebook's disregard for users' privacy coupled with how everything is trending towards becoming more and more "location aware" (to borrow from the new lexicon that is currently being shoved down our throats) will lead to some unintended consequences. Consider cases of "twitter burglaries" or "facebook bandits" who troll status updates and location updates or check-ins looking for "going to movies" or otherwise not home and vulnerable to burglary type information. also, a female's "working late again Frown " update plus her location on a map shared with her social media "friends"could potentially land her in a bad situation as well. And now, my daughter is telling me how people can now post FAKE LOCATION information to facebook, twitter, foursquare etc. with something called gps cloak on her smartphone. I used to at least be able to trust that type of information and have some sort of sense as to the whereabout of my family though some of these social media sites, but now that is called into question. somehow it seems as if all this technological advancement is making harder to keep tabs on our children while at the same time put us in that fishbowl situation where nothing is private......
GrowingConcern03/02/2011 09:41 AM
"Yanking your family off of social media" reminds me ...
of the famous experiment not too long ago where a father (and author) yanked his family off of television cold-turkey. After an initial period of turmoil, the family rediscoverd the art of conversation, the joy of taking evening walks, etc etc. Perhaps it time for a family to do a similar experiment with a cold-turkey cutoff of social media. Might rediscover some basic social skills, and the joy of privacy.wcraycroft03/02/2011 11:15 AM
What's the attraction?
Never have understood the attraction to Facebook. Seems like a warehouse for "brain noise".rahn@...03/02/2011 11:29 AM
Thursday 3 March 2011
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