Subscribe & Follow

Advertise your job vacancies

Facebook Messenger: Handing over your privacy

15 Aug 2014

Users of the iPhone and Android versions of Facebook's app will have found that, when trying to get into messenger, they are directed to download a second app, Messenger that will allow you person-to-person messages.

Facebook Messenger: Handing over your privacy

This has left many users in a bind, as without downloading the extra app they are not able to view, or respond to, messages.

The first question is: do we really need to download another messenger app? And then there is the bigger questions, the question of privacy, and this is not a question that is new to Facebook.

So, should users be alarmed, or at the very least, wary of Messenger? The answer is, yes!

The full of list of permissions that you give to Messenger when you download it is:

Change the state of network connectivity

Call phone numbers and send SMS messages

Record audio, and take pictures and videos, at any time

Read your phone's call log, including information about incoming and outgoing calls

Read your contact data, including who you can call and email and how often

Read personal profile information stored on your device

Access the phone features of the device, like your phone number and device ID

Get a list of accounts known by the phone, or other apps you use.

Apps have become a part our mobile lifestyle and users need to educate themselves on best practice when downloading apps onto devices. Be aware, and look out for apps demanding access to your personal information, and ask yourself - why should they have access to your SMS/MMS, calendar, events and WiFi control?

Carey van Vlaanderen

About Carey van Vlaanderen

Carey van Vlaanderen is CEO of ESET Southern Africa. ESET is a global provider of security software for enterprises and consumers and is dedicated to delivering instant, comprehensive protection against evolving computer security threats.