Facebook allegedly collects data from calls, texts on Android phones: Report

Facebook is in big trouble, and online reports are spewing out information each day. After the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal, Facebook is now in the negative limelight. Several users across the world are reportedly deleting their Facebook accounts in fear of their private data being collected and shared to unknown places. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk too has deleted the Facebook pages of his rocket company SpaceX and Tesla, which turned a lot of heads and has raised concerns about the ongoing debacle.

In another twist, Facebook is being accused of recording users' calls and texts over the past several years, from Android users in particular. According to a report by ArsTechinca, a user from New Zealand was curious enough to look into is Facebook data, only to find something amiss. He had downloaded his Facebook data using the ‘download archive’ option available on the social platform. The option to download the data was primarily for users who were willing to delete their Facebook accounts permanently to store their data.

The archive which the user had pulled down from Facebook revealed surprising details. Dylan McKay, while spurning the contacts in the archives, he had found that Facebook has been recording all his call metadata, over two years, from his Android smartphone. The metadata compromises of names, phone numbers, and call history, including duration of each call made/received. Check out the Twitter thread below for all the details found on the McKay’s Facebook downloaded archive.

Several other Android users had also complained the same regarding the issue. Another user, who claims not to be using the standalone Facebook app but using its Messenger app, has also reported that his call log details to fewer people have also been collected in archive.

Ars Technica further reported that Facebook, via Messenger app, offers to conveniently track all your calls and messages after the installation, though with consent from the user. In response to an email inquiry by ArsTechinca about this data collection, a Facebook spokesperson replied, "The most important part of apps and services that help you make connections is to make it easy to find the people you want to connect with. So, the first time you sign in on your phone to a messaging or social app, it's a widely used practice to begin by uploading your phone contacts."

Facebook also publicly responded on this issue via a 'fact check' blog post stating, ‘this is not the case’. The company has also described in detail about allowing the contacts and texts access in its app and what it intends to do as well. “When you sign up for Messenger or Facebook Lite on Android or log into Messenger on an Android device, you are given the option to continuously upload your contacts as well as your call and text history. For Messenger, you can either turn it on, choose ‘learn more’ or ‘not now’. On Facebook Lite, the options are to turn it on or ‘skip’. If you chose to turn this feature on, we will begin to continuously log this information, which can be downloaded at any time using the Download Your Information tool,” the company mentioned in its blog post.

Facebook also claims that the feature can be turned off whenever the user feels its unnecessary or wants to opt-out. One can do this through the app's settings  itself.

The company specifically mentioned that “We never sell this data, and this feature does not collect the content of your text messages or calls”

“When this feature is enabled, uploading your contacts also allows us to use information like when a call or text was made or received. This feature does not collect the content of your calls or text messages. Your information is securely stored and we do not sell this information to third parties. You are always in control of the information you share with Facebook,” the company further stated on its blog.

Though Facebook claims that the data being collected is meant for improvising on the user experience, it is unclear if Facebook has been sharing or selling the data to third-party companies. And if Facebook is utilising the data make a better user experience for the user, why does it need to record even minute details such as call durations?

Facebook is presently in a lot of trouble with the sensitive case where users are now keeping distance from the social platform by either deleting their accounts or making sure nothing private or confidential is being stored online.

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