Facebook Does U-Turn On Sharing Home Addresses, Phone Numbers

Facebook is temporarily suspending a controversial new policy that enabled Facebook app developers to access users' home addresses and mobile phone numbers.

In a carefully-worded blog posted Tuesday at 2:25AM, Facebook outlined the benefits of the expanded sharing options rolled out the previous week, though noted that the company would be disabling the "feature" for several weeks to make changes to the tool.

"Over the weekend, we got some useful feedback that we could make people more clearly aware of when they are granting access to this data," Facebook wrote. "We agree, and we are making changes to help ensure you only share this information when you intend to do so. We'll be working to launch these updates as soon as possible, and will be temporarily disabling this feature until those changes are ready. We look forward to re-enabling this improved feature in the next few weeks." (Read the full statement below)

Though many argued that allowing third-party developers access to users' addresses and phone numbers put members of the social network at risk for spam, identity theft, and other problems, Facebook plans to embrace the more open policy, while making tweaks that will make it more explicit if a website or developer requests access to users' personal information.

Users must explicitly grant an application permission to use such information. When Facebook originally introduced the change, it planned to display users a pop-up with a line of text--"Access my contact information"--that some said most users would overlook. (See screenshot below)

Internet security firm Sophos warned that the new policy "could herald a new level of danger for Facebook users," noting, "the ability to access users' home addresses will also open up more opportunities for identity theft, combined with the other data that can already be extracted from Facebook users' profiles."

Learn how to remove your home address and phone number from Facebook here.

Facebook's blog post:

Improvements to Permissions for Address and Mobile Number

On Friday, we expanded the information you are able to share with external websites and applications to include your address and mobile number. With this change, you could, for example, easily share your address and mobile phone with a shopping site to streamline the checkout process, or sign up for up-to-the-minute alerts on special deals directly to your mobile phone.

As with the other information you share through our permissions process, you need to explicitly choose to share this data before any application or website can access it, and you can not share your friends' address or mobile number with applications. Also, like other data you make available to third party apps and websites, you can always clearly see and control the ways your information is being used in the Application Dashboard.

Over the weekend, we got some useful feedback that we could make people more clearly aware of when they are granting access to this data. We agree, and we are making changes to help ensure you only share this information when you intend to do so. We'll be working to launch these updates as soon as possible, and will be temporarily disabling this feature until those changes are ready. We look forward to re-enabling this improved feature in the next few weeks.

Comments

[GEM-592]

03:25 AM on 01/21/2011

Just so no to faceschnook

[Quasi-Stellar Object]

07:24 PM on 01/20/2011

FACEBOOK

PART ONE: ACCOUNT SETTINGS

1. From the upper right of your profile page click "ACCOUNT". From the menu choose "ACCOUNT SETTINGS". You are taken to a page titled "MY ACCOUNT".

2. This page displays 7 tabs from left to right. The first tab is "SETTINGS"­­. Go down to "EMAIL" and change your address. Go to any provider, sign up for an e-mail account that you will ONLY use for FB. DO NOT use your name or personal informatio­­n in creating this FB e-mail address. You should NEVER EVER use any long held, real e-mail address for FB.

3. Back to the top of the "ACCOUNT SETTINGS" page. The second tab is "NETWORKS"­­. Delete all networks. You should not be in any "network".

4. Back to the top of the "ACCOUNT SETTINGS" page. The third tab is "NOTIFICAT­­IONS". There you will see FB has created more than 65 ways to e-mail and/or text you. Deselect ALL 65+ "notificat­­ions".

5. Back to the top of the "ACCOUNT SETTINGS" page. The fourth tab is "MOBILE". If you have disclosed a mobile phone number delete it. Do NOT register for "Facebook Text Messages".

6. Back to the top of the "ACCOUNT SETTINGS" page. The fifth tab is "PAYMENTS"­­. Remove informatio­­n.

7. Back to the top of the "ACCOUNT SETTINGS" page. The sixth tab is "FACEBOOK ADS". Close the pop-up window. At "Allow ads on platform pages to show my informatio­­n to...". Select "No One".

[Quasi-Stellar Object]

07:24 PM on 01/20/2011

FACEBOOK

PART TWO: PRIVACY SETTINGS

1. From the upper right of your profile page click "ACCOUNT". From the menu choose "PRIVACY SETTINGS". You are taken to a page titled "CHOOSE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS".

2. The second section on this page is titled "SHARING ON FACEBOOK". At the bottom of this section click on the link titled "CUSTOMIZE SETTINGS". There you will see three categories­:

"THINGS I SHARE"
"THINGS OTHERS SHARE"
"CONTACT INFORMATIO­N"

All settings for these 3 sections should be set to either "ONLY ME" or "FRIENDS ONLY". Always use the "CUSTOM EDIT" from the drop down menu provided.

3. At the bottom of the first category "THINGS I SHARE" there is another link titled: "EDIT ALBUM PRIVACY FOR EXISTING PHOTOS". All photo album settings should be set to either "ONLY ME" or "FRIENDS ONLY".

4. Click the back button on your browser and return to the "CHOOSE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS" page. At the bottom of this page you will see "APPS AND WEBSITES". On the line below select the link "EDIT YOUR SETTINGS".

5. You are then taken to a page that permits you to set privacy for 5 categories of “APPS GAMES AND WEBSITES”. The 2nd category is title “INFO ACCESSIBLE THROUGH YOUR FRIENDS”. This feature allows your personal informatio­n to be taken from friends profiles. Click the “EDIT SETTINGS” button to the right. A window then opens showing 18 pieces of your private informatio­n that are exposed through your friends activity. Uncheck all 18, click “SAVE CHANGES”.

[Quasi-Stellar Object]

07:24 PM on 01/20/2011

FACEBOOK

PART TWO: PRIVACY SETTINGS (cont’d)

6. Back to the “APPS GAMES AND WEBSITES” page. The fourth category is “INSTANT PERSONALIZ­ATION”. Click the “EDIT SETTINGS” button to the left. Close the pop-up window that appears. Scroll to the bottom of the page. There you will see a checkbox with the following text: “ENABLE INSTANT PERSONALIZ­ATION ON PARTNER WEBSITES”. Make sure that box is NOT checked. Scroll up to the top of the page and click the “BACK TO APPS” button or the back button on your browser.

7. Once back at the “APPS GAMES AND WEBSITES” page scroll to the bottom. The fifth category is “PUBLIC SEARCH”. Click the “EDIT SETTINGS” button to the right. There you will see a checkbox with the following text: “ENABLE PUBLIC SEARCH”. Make sure that box is NOT checked. This prevents employers and unwanted individual­s from finding your FB profile.

Click the “BACK TO APPS” button or the back button on your browser. Once back at the “APPS GAMES AND WEBSITES” page click the “BACK TO PRIVACY” button in the top left corner.

8. Once returned to the "CHOOSE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS" page scroll to the bottom where you will see “BLOCK LISTS”. Use this to block individual­s, co-workers­, employers or others from viewing your profile.

[dnb310]

05:52 PM on 01/19/2011

The default setting on facebook is chump.
Didn't this happen before? This is a pattern with these people. Time for the Feds to step in IMO.

[Rude Monk]

01:34 PM on 01/20/2011

So true.Maybe FB will come up with another free app or game and they''ll try again to sell your info.

[hypnotoad72]

02:18 PM on 01/19/2011

For now.

I recall when the Pentium came out.  There was an embedded serial number and everybody complained about privacy concerns.  For a while, subsequent Pentium CPUs had a 'disable' switch to disable this.  Later, the disable switch was removed and by then people stopped caring. 

That probably helped AMD gain market share for a while as well.  But, these days, every Intel CPU or Intel clone CPU has a serial number used for identification purposes. 

In short, expect Facebook's feature to return when people no longer feel concerned.

[Benjamin Rosenfeld]

09:28 AM on 01/19/2011

Why would you put your home address and phone number on facebook?

[hypnotoad72]

02:19 PM on 01/19/2011

To help thieves when, the next week, people say "Well I'm off to Aruba for a week to bask in the sun and to have lots of naughty fun with my significant other!!"  :)

[carnitine]

03:58 AM on 01/19/2011

People are nuts for putting ANY real info on Facebook. I just can't comprehend this. The fact that Facebook is free should raise alarms.

[peaceandfreedom]

02:17 AM on 01/19/2011

with Obama's recent expansion of the Boosh patriot act spying powers and the dept. of homeland security's admission that they are building files on All of Us, I wonder that anyone would ever build a profile on FB, let alone fill it with personal data.

[themainpoint]

12:19 AM on 01/19/2011

Facebook and email providers and many other places know all this and more anyway. It's just they don't always discuss that.

Your friends say "happy birthday" and now they've got your birth date. They say "happy 21st" and know they know your age.

There is very little that a person can keep private these days.

[hypnotoad72]

02:20 PM on 01/19/2011

Logical, but it's still more fun to make people infer and guess than to put out a form for easy direct entry. :)

[Quasi-Stellar Object]

08:17 PM on 01/18/2011

Mark Zuckerberg mocked the stupidity of FB users submission of personal info.

Full story at Business Insider:

http://www­­.business­i­nsider.c­om­/well-t­hes­e-new-­zuck­erber­g-ims­-won­t-help­-fa­cebooks­-p­rivacy-p­r­oblems-20­­10-5

[AlekHidell]

07:37 PM on 01/18/2011

Mark zuckerberg will be the next shawn fanning...and on and on and on....

[Ronni01]

07:28 PM on 01/18/2011

Why is it necessary to collect personal info anyway? (Other than to sell it)

[dnb310]

05:53 PM on 01/19/2011

No other reason.

[jose54]

03:25 PM on 01/18/2011

It's reasons like sharing and selling my private information that I still *REFUSE* to open a Facebook account even though my friends are always asking me to do so.

Facebook collects your IP address from your computer too. That's another problem that everyone should also be concerned about.

Until they make these changes to seriously protect our privacy in a meaningful way - stay far away from Facebook.

[Liberalibrarian]

08:53 PM on 01/18/2011

I agree. I will not use facebook until "it" gets its moral act together and stops insidiously sharing "stuff" they're not entitled to share.

We can always go back to writing letters.

Hmmmm, ok, maybe not.

[KennyJr]

03:18 PM on 01/18/2011

Zuckerberg is to the governed and controlled as Assange is to those who govern and those who control. Same 'service', different targets.