I use Facebook on my smartphone, which is a Verizon Droid Razr Maxx. I use it when I am traveling and simply when I am bored beyond words. How one gets on Facebook using their smartphone will be the difference between giving Facebook total control over your phone and ultimately your life or just browsing Facebook for the fun of it.
I go to my smartphones "desktop" and I open the browser which came installed with the phone or I use Google Chrome, which I personally downloaded. I type in the url, (www.facebook.com) and it brings me to the signon screen and I enter my email address and password and I am in. I am now free to browse Facebook till my battery dies, with no repercussions.
Here is where your privacy and phone security is compromised:
Most people have the Facebook application or App pre-installed on their phone when they first purchase it. It is on your phones desktop in the form of the big Facebook "F". Once you click on it, you are immediately logged in to Facebook and your smartphone, its data, location, network connectivity, SD card and all phone call logs are now accessible by Facebook or a hacker who might hack into Facebooks' servers.
The photo to the left is a screen shot of my Droid Razr Maxx smartphone showing the App Info for the Facebook App, which came pre-loaded onto my phone from Verizon. It shows the version number, total storage space, data and SD card.
This screen shot shows the permissions for the Facebook App on my smartphone, which is universal in nature. It clearly states, that "this app (Facebook) can access the following on your phone":
Your personal information and it can modify or change your phone contacts, email contacts, it can read your call log, read your contacts and write to your call log, that is, it will insert calls or numbers which you never called! It can access your precise GPS location and approximate network location. It has full access to your phones network and here is the kicker: Your accounts: it can add, remover or create any account on your phone and set passwords! It can modify, change or delete the contents of your SD card.
Finally, Facebook and the folks behind it can: record audio, take pictures and videos using your smartphone, read the phone status of your phone calls and the identity of all callers and prevent your phone from going to "sleep". Now some people might say, "hey, they can't do that".
Well, Facebook stated previously, "if you don't like our privacy setup, don't use it". Simply put, if you are going to use Facebook from your smartphone, never, ever use the pre-installed app that came with your phone and never download and use the Facebook app for any smartphone. Use the browser on your smartphone instead.
I go to my smartphones "desktop" and I open the browser which came installed with the phone or I use Google Chrome, which I personally downloaded. I type in the url, (www.facebook.com) and it brings me to the signon screen and I enter my email address and password and I am in. I am now free to browse Facebook till my battery dies, with no repercussions.
Here is where your privacy and phone security is compromised:
Most people have the Facebook application or App pre-installed on their phone when they first purchase it. It is on your phones desktop in the form of the big Facebook "F". Once you click on it, you are immediately logged in to Facebook and your smartphone, its data, location, network connectivity, SD card and all phone call logs are now accessible by Facebook or a hacker who might hack into Facebooks' servers.
The photo to the left is a screen shot of my Droid Razr Maxx smartphone showing the App Info for the Facebook App, which came pre-loaded onto my phone from Verizon. It shows the version number, total storage space, data and SD card.
Your personal information and it can modify or change your phone contacts, email contacts, it can read your call log, read your contacts and write to your call log, that is, it will insert calls or numbers which you never called! It can access your precise GPS location and approximate network location. It has full access to your phones network and here is the kicker: Your accounts: it can add, remover or create any account on your phone and set passwords! It can modify, change or delete the contents of your SD card.
Well, Facebook stated previously, "if you don't like our privacy setup, don't use it". Simply put, if you are going to use Facebook from your smartphone, never, ever use the pre-installed app that came with your phone and never download and use the Facebook app for any smartphone. Use the browser on your smartphone instead.
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