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The Facebook Messenger switch: annoying, but not evil
If you use the Facebook iOS app, you've probably noticed that the social network's private SMS-like Messenger functionality is migrating out of the "mother" application and into the standalone Facebook Messenger app (currently at version 9.1). Messenger's solo app has been around for a couple of years already, but Facebook is now reminding users more insistently that they need Messenger (or the mobile browser version of Facebook) if they want to keep using the IM functionality on their phones. This nudging-slash-feature shifting is understandably annoying for many users, but it's not, despite what many people on the internet would like you to believe, out-and-out evil. A combination of out-of-date intel and overall paranoia is getting folks worked up unnecessarily. What's more, the most scary "Facebook is eating my data" warnings don't apply to iOS users at all -- they're Android-specific, and are only as scary as they are because Google insists that apps "pre-declare" anything they might want to do. [One particular point of confusion is the assertion that Messenger may be listening to all your conversations, or trying to figure out what music is playing in the background while you use the app, all to better target you for advertising. The good news is, Messenger doesn't listen to your music. The less good news: the regular Facebook app may listen, for 15 seconds while you are writing a status update, in order to share the song you're enjoying with your FB buddies. The better news: the feature is entirely optional, and you can disable it easily. To sum up: "passive listening" has nothing to do with Messenger and is not a reason to hate or fear the app. If you want to turn off the microphone features in Messenger anyway, instructions are right here. –Ed.] Much of the anxiety/anger is focused on the app's terms and conditions, which (particularly on the Android side; less so on iOS) ask you to give Facebook access to basically everything on your phone. Here's the thing: if you already use Facebook, you've probably given the company access to all of that stuff already. Still, in the absence of context, the Android permissions do sound pretty Big Brotherish. Here's a sampling: Allows the app to call phone numbers without your intervention. This may result in unexpected charges or calls. Malicious apps may cost you money by making calls without your confirmation. Allows the app to send SMS messages. This may result in unexpected charges. Malicious apps may cost you money by sending messages without your confirmation. Allows the app to record audio with microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation. Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation. That sounds pretty bad, especially that part about recording audio without asking first. What possible motive could they have for asking for that? Well, we'd ask Facebook, but they've already explained in the help page for Messenger. Here's why they include that permission, and why the Android version of the app is simply playing by Google's rules for declaring its capabilities. Why is the Messenger app requesting permission to access features on my Android phone or tablet? If you install the Messenger app, you should see a screen letting you know that the app is asking for your permission to access information or use features from your Android phone or tablet. Almost all apps need certain permissions to run on Android, and we use these permissions to run features in the app. Keep in mind that Android controls the way the permissions are named, and the way they're named doesn't necessarily reflect the way the Messenger app and other apps use them. Below, you'll find a list of some of the permissions we request for the app, as well as an example of how we use each one. Note that this list doesn't include all of the Android permissions we request or all of our uses of those permissions. If you've already installed the Messenger app, you can find a list of the permissions the app uses in your phone or tablet's Applications Manager, or by visiting the Play Store and clicking View Details under Permissions. Android permission (what you'll see on your Android phone or tablet) and examples of what we use this permission for: Take pictures and videos: This permission allows you to take photos and videos within the Messenger app to easily send to your friends and other contacts Record audio: This permission allows you to send voice messages, make free voice calls, and send videos within Messenger Directly call phone numbers: This permission allows you to call a Messenger contact by tapping on the person's phone number, found in a menu within your message thread with the person Receive text messages (SMS): If you add a phone number to your Messenger account, this allows you to confirm your phone number by finding the confirmation code that we send via text message Read your contacts: This permission allows you to add your phone contacts as Messenger contacts if you choose to do so. You can always stop syncing your phone contacts by going to your Messenger settings Facebook is a company that is facing increasing public scrutiny, in no small part because it has conducted thought experiments on users. As society starts to finally think about the implications of handing over all of our personal information to the social media companies we use day to day, it's good that we're asking these questions. The important thing is to look to verifiable sources explaining what's going on. Yes, Facebook asks for access to your personal information with their new app. However, given the granular permission settings on iOS, you can easily prevent Facebook Messenger from accessing your address book, using your microphone, or checking your location. If you don't need a feature, and turning it off would be better for your own sense of security, then don't enable it. Dislike Facebook for shoehorning users into a new app they may not want, but don't buy into the myth that this is a new expansion of FB's information grabbing. They've been gobbling your private information this whole time. That's one of the tradeoffs of using the service. For more information on what Facebook's apps do and don't do with your personal information, check out this handy summary at Snopes, this AndroidCentral rundown and this cogent writeup at the Wall Street Journal's tech blog. Post updated 8/10 10 am to clarify Android v. iOS permission warnings.
Sixth Circuit rules that law enforcement doesn't need a warrant to track your phone
If you go through tin foil like there's no tomorrow (or because you think there's no tomorrow), you might want to head down the store. A recent 2 - 1 ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that law enforcement agencies can obtain cellphone location data, without the need for a warrant. The decision comes after a defendant in a drug-related case claimed protection from his phone's GPS location data being used under the Fourth Amendment. Judge John Rogers stated that the defendant didn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy for data given off by a voluntarily purchased phone, going on to state that if tools used in such crimes give off a trackable signal, police should be allowed to use it. Rogers likened it to the use of dogs tracking a scent, and criminals complaining they didn't know they were giving one off, or that the dog had picked it up. The use of technology in crime prevention, be it police tools, or that belonging to the greater population, has long been a source of complex discussion, and this latest development is unlikely to be the end of it. But for now, at least one guy is rueing his decision to get a better phone. Hit the source for the full case history.
Paper Tyger unveils printable RFID Shield
If you're wondering how the privacy advocates that get shipped off to Japan's wireless island will maintain their sanity, we've got a hunch that they just might look Paper Tyger's way before departing. The aptly-named RFID Shield is reportedly "easily printable" and unsurprisingly aims to protect personal information on contactless credit cards and similar wallet mainstays. Purportedly, the unit contains "a new security barrier to assure that sensitive information contained on the card's RFID chip remains protected when not in use," and can even be fabricated into envelopes or paper sleeves. No word just yet on when this here RFID-shunning technology will be available for purchase, but we're sure at least a small sect of individuals will be clamoring for dibs when it finally goes commercial.
Isabodywear underwear fends off cellphone radiation
If you thought donning tin foil caps was excessive, Isabodywear is out to make those contraptions looks mighty mild. While the debate about just how dangerous (or not) cellphone radiation is still rages on, there's certainly a paranoid sect that will snap up anything that claims to "protect them," and this Swiss garb maker is latching onto said opportunity. The briefs are purportedly constructed with threads made of silver, which the company claims will fend off harmful cellphone radiation; moreover, in an effort to really prove just how effective these undergarments are, it suggests that phone calls originated within the confines of your new underwear simply won't connect. Reportedly, 4,000 pairs have been created so far, and for folks willing to give these a try and fill out a survey, the first 500 of you to email in and request one will seemingly have one sent out gratis. There's no word on when you can expect the Slipways to hit the market, but they should sell for CHF29.90 ($24) apiece when retailers start stocking.[Via Textually]
Tin foil hats finally find a purpose: Cool-Cap baby cooling
The FDA has just lent its stamp of approval to the new Olympic Cool-Cap from Olympic Medical of Seattle. The shiny little hat is designed to help treat hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE -- yeah, we never heard of it either) in newborn infants. It's a potentially fatal injury to the brain caused by low levels of oxygen, and kills 20-25 percent of its victims, with 25 percent suffering permanent disabilities. The Cool-Cap is designed to combat the condition by creating a steady flow of water in the cap to cool the baby's head. It's not as simple as it sounds, with a whole control system involved to monitor the kid, and a solid-state water cooler to deliver uber-precise temperatures to the cap. The foil of the cap is designed to minimize heat, which is great, since it turns out those tin foil hats of ours were never doing much good after all.
Clarins Expertise 3P anti-electro magnetic radiation mist
Good news for the tin-foil hat set: Clarins just did you solid and busted out an anti-electro magnetic radiation mist -- we keed you not. Of course, this is for cosmetic reasons. Cancer be damned, Clarins just wants to make sure none of of that electro magnetic radiation is at fault for any premature skin aging. Such radiation-caused aging is a "very real problem" sez Clarins, and we suppose we should be grateful to the cosmetics giant for producing its new Expertise 3P Screen Mist to save our collective epidermis at a mere 39 euros (around $50 US) a bottle. The product "works" by forming a screen on the face, and also purportedly contains an anti-pollution complex to fight nefarious environmental causes of premature aging. Is this absolutely ridiculous? Perhaps. Are we loving every minute of it? You betcha.[Via Shiny Shiny]
