Facebook loses friends in latest privacy row
Facebook is fending off fresh complaints of privacy violations after users of its instant messaging app complained that it was accessing their cameras, voice recorders and address books without consent.
Facebook Messenger is available on smartphone and tablet devices and presents the user with a list of permission requests prior to installation, each of which grants the app access to a particular function – such as GPS.
The social media site claims that such permissions are vital to run certain features but many users disagree, with one Google Play reviewer writing: “This app [has] permissions to literally take over your phone.”
Facebook Messenger was launched earlier this year in direct competition with services such as Whatsapp and Skype, which ask for many of the same permissions. Courtesy of its Facebook functionality Messenger has swiftly become the most downloaded app in the UK.