By: Owen Hamlin
Staff Writer
The new Facebook messenger app, if downloaded has access to a vast amount of personal information, which should be properly thought through before downloading the app.
The new Facebook messenger app is now a mandatory installation to continue using the Facebook phone app to its full capacity. Like most updates on various social media applications it appears, but in fact it is crossing the line. A Facebook spokeswomen released this statement on the issue, “As we’ve said our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences.”
The idea of the app itself is quite noble. It is intended to bridge the gap between a cluster of different media messaging tools, texting, calling, media messaging etc. But it has absolutely over stepped its bounds.
When the app is in effect it has access to just about everything on your phone. Some of the most alarming examples are its ability to record audio, take pictures and videos, and access to call logs. It states this in the terms presented before downloading. By downloading the app your giving up all of your personal information and allowing the app to videotape, and record at will.
Recently many celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton became victims to phone hacking. The hacker was able to gain access to their phones and leak sensitive photos in early September. Out of all the time that the “hacker” could have hacked into all these women’s phones its definitely peculiar that they did at the same time the messenger app was percolating. A Time theorizes that the issue was related to the iCloud accounts but fails to determine anything.
The argument has been made that the Facebook messenger app really isn’t any more intrusive than other comparable apps. Ken Colburn of Data doctors computer services said, “its really not that unusual, it may not be as sneaky as it sounds.” If that’s true, and all of these social media apps have this level of access to peoples phones, then privacy may no longer exist.
In an article written on yahoo finance it is claimed that, “Facebook plans to exploit you the user, in order to justify their plans to increase revenues, profit, and valuation.” Though Facebook dines ever selling user information, although they have problems with the issue in the past. An article on Discovery new states, “One option Facebook is exploring is enhancing ad sales by more effective targeting of increasingly specific demographic groups, using location data from mobile devices and information culled from the site.” The article was written before the messenger app was introduced, which has access to precise location.
In conclusion, downloading the new Facebook messenger app may not be a good idea. It can independently record, video tape, and take pictures. It has access to precise location, and all calls and messaging. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, don’t download the app.
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