Social media giant says feature has « always been opt-in only. »
Facebook on Sunday denied it had been logging Android users’ call and text history without their permission.
While some users’ information is logged, the social media site said the function « has always been opt-in only. » When the feature is enabled, the feature allows Facebook to see when a call or text was sent or received, the company said.
« You may have seen some recent reports that Facebook has been logging people’s call and SMS (text) history without their permission. This is not the case, » Facebook said in a statement. « People have to expressly agree to use this feature. »
Ars Technica reported Saturday that some Facebook users had discovered years’ worth of phone call metadata in their downloadable Facebook data file. Facebook requests access to phone-contact data to improve its friend-recommendation algorithm, the site reported.
« Call and text history logging is part of an opt-in feature for people using Messenger. While we receive certain permissions from Android, uploading this information has always been opt-in only, » Facebook said.
Facebook said the feature doesn’t collect the contents of calls or texts, and information collected isn’t sold to third parties.
The social media giant has been embroiled in a scandal for the past week after reports of a data analytics firm that worked for the Donald Trump campaign misusing Facebook users’ personal information during the 2016 US election. Cambridge Analytica is accused of exploiting the personal data of 50 million of Facebook users and using the information to manipulate US voters in the presidential campaign.
Cambridge Analytica has denied using the information for the Trump campaign.
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