Facebook Takes Invasion of Privacy To New Level

I'm not entirely sure about this.

I know that Facebook, and other popular online entities, seem to be invading our privacy, doing so voluntarily (as are the users that they are doing it to, by the way).

But some of these things seemed just far fetched. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. Or, perhaps, someone misunderstood what was being said, and interpreted it to mean something far more sweeping than it actually is.

Specifically, this is the part that I had trouble believing:

Record audio, and take pictures and videos, at any time – Read that line again….RECORD audio…TAKE pictures….AT ANY TIME!! That means that the folks at Facebook can see through your lens on your phone whenever they want..they can listen to what you’re saying via your microphone if they choose to!!

It just seems a little far fetched, that they could actually essentially take over your phone and activate it, presumably without you knowing that they are doing so and turning it off on your own. That seems like a gross exaggeration.

At least, I hope it's an exaggeration!

That said, it's still good to take precautions, and to remain aware of dangers, since privacy is fast becoming a thing of the past these days.

So, here is the article warning about Facebook's latest intrusions into your privacy. Read, and decide for yourself:




Facebook Crosses The Line With New Facebook Messenger App by Nick Russo, August 7, 2014:

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2014/08/07/facebook-crosses-the-line-with-new-facebook-messenger-app/



I did a little bit more research on this subject this morning, and found that, as I suspected, these claims were a mixture of partially true statements, and sweeping generalizations that went way too far towards fear-mongering. I understand the fears of privacy being compromised on the internet, and sympathize, since I share those same fears. But going too far with one's fears, to the point that it become irrational and relies on wild claims with no basis in truth, goes to the other extreme, and will prove counterproductive. Then, people will understand less, once these wild claims are proven false, because no one will know for sure just what to believe anymore. I almost wonder if some of these claims did not originate with those who stand to benefit from the internet's invasion of our collective, and individual, privacy?

Here is the Snopes piece that explains the mixture of truths and falsehoods in the previous article, and similar such articles, regarding Facebook and your privacy:

http://www.snopes.com/computer/facebook/messenger.asp