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Facebook Android Privacy Technology

Facebook Now Lets Android Users Block Background Collection of Location Data (betanews.com) 81

Posted by msmash from the better-late-than-never dept.
Facebook has rolled out an update to Android users that gives them a greater degree of control over the sharing of location data with the social network. From a report: Specifically, the update makes it possible to stop Facebook from using tracking your location in the background when you are not using the app. The change brings parity to the iOS and Android Facebook apps. In introducing the new finer-grained controls, Facebook insists that it is "not making any changes to the choices you've previously made nor are we collecting any new information."
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Facebook Now Lets Android Users Block Background Collection of Location Data More

Facebook Now Lets Android Users Block Background Collection of Location Data

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  • Trust us this time! (Score:5, Funny)

    by kaka.mala.vachva ( 1164605 ) on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @05:32PM (#58154238)
    We only want what's best for you.

  • So deactivating the app is not enough? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Dirk Becher ( 1061828 ) on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @05:35PM (#58154254)

    If no, this is sabotage.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      After like 2013-2014 your account never truly gets deleted. All you sheep still using that Spyware will never escape the book of faces.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        It was true before that even. Anything you post to FB since 2008 was THEIR PROPERTY. Period. Your control over "your account" does not actually amount to jack the fuck all. It's theirs. You gave yourselves to them.

        • It was true before that even. Anything you post to FB since 2008 was THEIR PROPERTY. Period. Your control over "your account" does not actually amount to jack the fuck all. It's theirs. You gave yourselves to them.

          Unless FB's terms of service have changed, that's not true. You retain ownership of everything you put on Facebook. However! Facebook can use anything you put on the site, or any information you give them, for any purpose whatsoever. And no, I don't trust Facebook one bit.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by xack ( 5304745 )
      Considering Microsoft Edge was compromised using Facebook in an earlier story you can expect any device capable of using Facebook is compromised.

  • Probably because... (Score:3)

    by forkfail ( 228161 ) on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @05:41PM (#58154294)

    ... their predictive models are good enough that they don't need as much detail to track at the same of better levels...

  • then the problem is solved, on linux it is, i have not seen a good way to do it on android, but i think android and ms-windows should let users block entire domains and their associated domains, that would make a good tool for android and windows users

    • i have not seen a good way to do it on android

      You just need to run a firewall app, which blocks all network access attempts by an app. I use AFWall+ [google.com] but it requires root. NoRoot Firewall [google.com] seems to be popular among non-rooted people. It sets up a fake VPN on your phone that it controls. Since all network traffic is redirected through the VPN, the firewall can block whichever apps you choose to block.

      You have to re-enable access if the app needs network access to use (like the FB app). But that's actu

  • They "let" me? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @05:50PM (#58154346)

    This is the difference between open and closed source right here. In closed source, you need their permission for them to "allow" you to do things. With open source, you are free to add or remove what you want and when you want. Mostly open source doesn't bother adding in malfeatures because they know someone will just disable it and release a fork.

    Closed source software is the leash they use to control you because that's all you are to them: cattle. Don't believe me? Has Microsoft allowed you to disable the telemetry yet?

  • Well, that is nice of them... (Score:3)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @05:52PM (#58154358)
    ... if only I believed that Facebook are actually doing what they say...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      ... if only I believed that Facebook are actually doing what they say...

      I dumped the Facebook app on Android ages ago because it just became too slow to use. It was a revelation that I could use my phone's browser complete with adblock and the page loaded much faster with no lost functionality.

      I'm going to say it. The app age is over, most apps are just single use browsers that connect to web back ends and browsers are now well and truly good enough that we don't need limited functionality, single use browsers for each website we visit.

      I've been able to use the full web

  • I'm using Fb's web interface via the "Metal" app, which prevents having to use their app, and solves browser compatibility issues. I don't trust their app, for obvious reasons.

    • I use friendly because it allows me to access the messaging tab of the web interface which is blocked on my mobile browser because Facebook wants me to install its Facebook Messenger application.

      Does Metal allows that?

      • I use friendly because it allows me to access the messaging tab [...]
        Does Metal allows that?

        Yep, just double-checked to make sure it still works, too, and it does. That's why I landed on this particular client.

  • How convenient. Zuckerberg is going to be sent to prison, at least he should be.

  • Well, I'm not at all shocked and rushing to turn off the setting. Having your location tracked when not using the app - who doesn't expect that?
  • You can disable Facebook all you want on your Android device, but I'll bet a lot of money that google already sells that same information to Facebook and everybody else with a few bucks.

    • You can disable Facebook all you want on your Android device, but I'll bet a lot of money that google already sells that same information to Facebook and everybody else with a few bucks.

      That seems unlikely and while I don't think google are remotely trustworthy there's no evidence of that. If anything they're pretty tight lipped with that kind of data. Google are in the business of selling advertising, not in the business of selling data. Their data is what supposedly gives them their edge to sell ads bette

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Facebook had a secret policy of collecting data. Now that it has been revealed, they claim not to have a secret policy for collecting data anymore.

    O RLY

    They think people are stupid, of course, and they might be right. They assume that people won't assume the obvious, being that FB has lots of channels for this activity and they simply disavow any channels that get outed, all the while creating more and increasingly elaborate versions of the same policies and practices. It's Darwinian; the methods that are v

    • Article Summarized:

      Creepy Facebook rolls out an update that adds no-op "privacy" controls intended to fool gullible users into falsely believing it is no longer spying on them 24/7.

  • 0 Trust left (Score:3)

    by GeekWithAKnife ( 2717871 ) on Thursday February 21, 2019 @05:07AM (#58156676)

    Facebook has repeatedly broken the rules, given away data specifically made private; sold to the highest bidder & or just the clever partner that could leech the data off them.

    We, as a species need to disconnect from facebook.

  • How about... (Score:3)

    by drakaan ( 688386 ) on Thursday February 21, 2019 @10:20AM (#58157484) Homepage Journal
    Great! How about letting me sort my news feed in chronological order (by date posted, and not date of last frigging comment)?

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