Facebook continues to provide your private details

There's a little noticed blog post on the Facebook Developers site entitled Platform Updates: New User Object fields, Edge.remove Event and More  which looks as dull as possible doesn't it. There's probably a reason for that. Right at the top of the post is the following little gem: "User address and mobile phone number. We are now making a user’s address and mobile phone number accessible as part of the User Graph object. Please note that these permissions only provide access to a user’s address and mobile phone number, not their friend's addresses or mobile phone numbers."

Love the last bit - so it's ok for Facebook to pass on your details then, but not your best mates. Classic line. I would really recommend that as a result of this latest Facebook insanity that you remove your phone number AND address from the site. After all, Facebook is for friends, right? Your friends will already have your numbers if they need to get hold of you quickly, so there's little need for this information to be available to Facebook. More to the point - it's not Facebook, it's the apps that you decide to provide access to your details which are the ones to worry about. Nothing to stop some rogue app or scammer getting your details really.

So.. do yourself a favour - remove those details! You need to go into your Account, Profile, Contact Information, and that's where that data is stored.

Comments

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Phil,

your posting made me check my entry on FB (all clear in fact) where I spotted this link from a friend in the US - http://radionewz.net/?s=cheese+library

Irresistible, even if it's unlikely to save libraries......

Best wishes, Hugh

[Katie]

There's been a recent update to Facebook on my Android phone, which allows you to sync your Facebook contacts with your Android address book. I wonder if opening up contact details to apps has happened to make this function possible?

I've got to say, I've never held my phone number and address on Facebook, it always seemed a bit vulnerable as a space for information that personal.

[Emma]

Apparently there's been a delay on implementing the idea?
http://on.mash.to/hDLtIl

[web designer Philippines]

totally agree, that's why I never really placed my phone number on my Facebook account. but I placed my email, which is visible only to my friends.

thanks for the reminder.