Author Topic: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private  (Read 946 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline thackney

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,267
  • Gender: Male
Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
https://www.engadget.com/2019/03/04/facebook-2fa-phone-number/

Rapacious consumer of personal data Facebook is once again receiving bad press, for being a rapacious consumer of personal data. The company is under fire for its refusal to allow users to opt out of being found by their phone number when those digits were only supplied for two-factor authentication. TechCrunch is drawing attention to the annoyance, pointing out that some folks are now learning about the bait'n'switch.

Twitter user Jeremy Burge pointed out, in a thread, that phone numbers could be searched, with "no way to disable" the feature. He added that, perhaps unsurprisingly, this data is also shared with WhatsApp and Instagram, which means your phone number becomes a unique ID for you. And it's impossible to disable the feature if you added your number -- only limit it to your immediate friend circle.

Facebook told TechCrunch that this is not a new situation, which is true, and we've known that the platform uses phone numbers for ad tracking since last September. The company uses that unique ID, since it's tied to you, and can use it to sell ads, much as it does with everything else it knows about you. It's a practice that columnist Violet Blue said "gives a middle finger to infosec" on this very website....
Life is fragile, handle with prayer

Offline Sanguine

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 35,986
  • Gender: Female
  • Ex-member
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2019, 08:41:10 pm »
Do people put their phone numbers on FB? 

Offline thackney

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,267
  • Gender: Male
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2019, 09:20:32 pm »
Do people put their phone numbers on FB?

Not this people...
Life is fragile, handle with prayer

Offline Sanguine

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 35,986
  • Gender: Female
  • Ex-member
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2019, 10:07:57 pm »
Smart man.

Offline jmyrlefuller

  • J. Myrle Fuller
  • Cat Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,737
  • Gender: Male
  • Nonpartisan hack
    • Fullervision
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2019, 11:24:32 pm »
Remember when there was this thing called the phone book, which published everybody's phone number without their explicit permission unless they explicitly asked to be unlisted?
New profile picture in honor of Public Domain Day 2024

Offline Sanguine

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 35,986
  • Gender: Female
  • Ex-member
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2019, 11:30:40 pm »
Remember when there was this thing called the phone book, which published everybody's phone number without their explicit permission unless they explicitly asked to be unlisted?

I do, and it was simple and it worked.  Pretty much flawlessly.

Online bigheadfred

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,271
  • Gender: Male
  • One day Closer
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2019, 11:31:30 pm »
Do people put their phone numbers on FB?

Every time I get a call from a telemarketer I post that number on FB as my own.
She asked me name my foe then. I said the need within some men to fight and kill their brothers without thought of Love or God. Ken Hensley

Offline Sighlass

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6,634
  • Didn't vote for McCain Dole Romney Trump !
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2019, 12:08:51 am »
Do people put their phone numbers on FB? 

You try and get an account there without a phone number. Not possible anymore. Plus they want you to prove your number works yearly so they have the latest number to sell to spammers.
Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders over ....

Online Fishrrman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36,881
  • Gender: Male
  • Dumbest member of the forum
Re: Facebook won't keep your two-factor phone number truly private
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2019, 12:16:30 am »
Sighlass wrote:
"You try and get an account there without a phone number. Not possible anymore."

Guess I won't be signin' up fo' facebook anytime soon!