It’s official, Facebook has made the dreaded obligatory switch to Facebook Messenger and people around the world are not happy about it.
You can no longer see new messages on the Facebook app nor can you view old messages unless you install Facebook Messenger.
Since the switch is not optional; it would be useful to know about the privacy concerns raised by some. Before proceeding, I advise you to read your in-app privacy & terms section which you can find it under “Settings”.
The main points discussed by the online community are requests by Facebook Messenger to do things on your behalf such as accessing your phone book, texting and calling contacts, recording audio and taking pictures and video. While most the apps you install on your phone ask for similar permissions; people rarely complain about it. Mainly because they don’t read these permission requests nor the terms of agreement for any app they use. It seems that some are upset because this app was forced on them so they are blowing things out of proportions.
It is important to note that the privacy policy for the Android and iPhone apps are the same but user permissions are presented differently, granting iPhone users more freedom. Basically, Android users have to agree to all user permissions before using the app while iPhone users will be promoted only when they try to use every feature. As an iPhone user of Facebook Messenger, I can deny access to the microphone and address book while still use the app for sending and receiving messages. Android users can’t.
However, even as an android user, you can go to the app’s settings to modify some of these permissions as you wish, any time.
What do you think about Facebook’s new messenger app?
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