Page 1 of Facebook is listening to your private conversations...

No, I haven't been hanging out in Bandicoot's bookmark folder, this one's actually been confirmed by FB themselves.

Over the last few weeks, FB's mobile app has been pushing their new messenger app on their users, attempting to make it a one-for-all communications app, handling PM's, and making free phone calls. It all sounds fine and dandy, untill you take a close look at the permissions



(Image courtesy of DVDDude)


The bunkum about text messages is kid of generic, apart from that bit about 'editing' your messages. That doesn't sound, or feel right

But then you get to the next bit. Record audio? Surely that's part of the free phone calls? Nope

Quote:
...it plans to save data captured by smartphone microphones, potentially enabling the social media giant to listen in on private conversations. In a press release issued Wednesday, Facebook announced a forthcoming app update in which a new feature uses the phone's microphone to capture sounds in the user's environment, then identifies the song, movie or television show the user is watching based on what it hears. Once the sound is ID'd, users have the option to share it as a visual component of their posts.

Though Facebook assured that "no sound is stored,” the company acknowledged to International Business Times that it does intend to archive the data gleaned. http://www.ibtimes.com/facebook-microphone-update-store-data-social-media-giant-confirms-new-feature-will-1588916

The thing is, whether you are on the 'meh' side of the spectrum, or are the type that has protest signs and flaming pitchforks on standby for moral outrage occasions, you have no coice in the matter now. Facebook have discontinued the messenger capability within the FB app, so you HAVE to download the messenger app. Unless, of course, you're smart enough to just access FB through your devices' browser and use messenger that way.

Despite their protestations that this is all innocent and above board, the fact is they're analyzing sound from your microphone, converting that sound into data and storing it on their servers. They could claim that the phones' users gave permission for that data to be collected, but you know as well as I do, at least 50% of people with smartphones just click through the permissions page without reading it properly.

If you're interested, there is a petition up and running to get this feature removed, because it is an invasion of privacy, and no social media company has the right, implied or otherwise to listen to you, or those around you, just so it can put that eavesdropped information into your posts without your knowledge.

http://action.sumofus.org/a/Facebook-app-taps-phones/?akid=5478.1946946.oyp1uk&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=1001

I can type. I know how to post on Facebook, and the important thing is, I know what NOT to put on there as well.

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Writer`s Release

This item was edited on Wednesday, 28th May 2014, 19:59

Quote:
Pete-MK says...
"The thing is, whether you are on the 'meh' side of the spectrum, or are the type that has protest signs and flaming pitchforks on standby for moral outrage occasions, you have no coice in the matter now."Yes you do.....   An easy one given those T's and C's.

Ste

Although I am not on any social media site, and never will, I understand how messages are sent on facebook using a phone or computer, for all your friends to read, but I do not understand this 'sound' problem.

Surely if you are putting sound on Facebook via your phone,, you are doing this under your own volition, and your sounds on Facebook are there for your friends to hear.

Am I understanding this correct, or is facebook secretly grabbing sounds from your phone. without your permission?

Quote:
bandicoot says...
"Am I understanding this correct, or is facebook secretly grabbing sounds from your phone. without your permission?"Not without your permission, no.  You give it by accepting the T's and C's that nobody reads.

Ste

I stopped using the facebook app ages ago when a colleague pointed out that in an update it said they could read your texts, the twitter app does the same so on my phone I use a browser to look at those sites.

So...being thick (and having just accepted the ts and cs without reading them coz I'm clever like that!) does that mean it's always listening or does is listen when you press some sort of button?

Surely they wouldn't have space to record all of the noise everyone's phone picks up?

There were similar reports of spying n listening to private conversations by sainsburys when the press discovered the "personal safety devices" which we trigger if we feel threatened, at which point sound is played to a call centre who either call the police/store manager and the sound file is saved. It only works when activated intentionally, so if the facebook thingy is similar then it's not a problem, if its listening all the time, then I might be uninstalling it!

It is possible for a mobile phones microphone to be remotely activated and record the enviroment around the phone, but this is by permission only of secret services (at the moment) to catch crooks.

So how would facebook be allowed to do a similar operation on the fly?

CIA use....
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1029-6140191.html

Hence a mobile phone in off mode or standby mode can be accessed remotely,  as is technically never off unless you pull the battery out.

This world of snooping can only get worse.

The basic premise is, while the app is activated (or running in the background), it's activated your microphone and is listening to the sounds in your location, which might be a film audio, a song, general ambient noise or keywords you are using in your private conversation.

The app matches the audio tags to keywords in the servers' database and edits your subsequent posts to tell everyone in your friends list more about you than you might want them to know.

For example, a normal post might be:

Joe Bloggs sitting down with a glass of Chianti and watching University Challenge

But with all the new features enabled the post would be edited by the app and come out as:

Joe Bloggs sitting down with a glass of Chianti and watching University Challenge while watching Jeremy Kyle, listening to Steps and discussing Anal Fissures

and it includes relevant pictures

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Writer`s Release

Looks like you are going to have to pack you phone in a blanket of cotton wool, when not in use,  and that lets you free to get to the bottom of things on you talk about anal fissures 

Backtracking/damage control departments have been working overtime it would seem;

Quote:
Myth: The feature listens to and stores your conversations.

Fact: Nope, no matter how interesting your conversation, this feature does not store sound or recordings. Facebook isn't listening to or storing your conversations.

Here's how it works: if you choose to turn the feature on, when you write a status update, the app converts any sound into an audio fingerprint on your phone. This fingerprint is sent to our servers to try and match it against our database of audio and TV fingerprints. By design, we do not store fingerprints from your device for any amount of time. And in any event, the fingerprints can't be reversed into the original audio because they don't contain enough information.

Myth: Facebook is always listening using your microphone.

Fact: Nope, if you choose to turn this feature on, it will only use your microphone (for 15 seconds) when you're actually writing a status update to try and match music and TV.I certainly hope those app reprogrammers got their time and a half's worth


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Writer`s Release