thinking critically about FB messenger

I have become very disturbed reading several recent articles expressing extreme concern about the Facebook messenger app and how much control it gains over mobile devices. After reading the list of concerns in these articles, one might go away thinking that Facebook staff are just hanging out in their offices picking through our emails, call logs, etc, peeking at our photos and laughing at our less than dignified moments captured on camera, picking out the best moments to feature in the tabloids. Oooooh, lookee what Johnny Smith was doing at 10:00 when he should have been at work! Oh, there’s his boss’ email address. I’m sure she’ll want to know about that–there’s probably a $5,000 reward for this type of info!

Let’s take one step back toward more rational thinking–at least one.

The FB messenger app is designed to do a number of things, all at the user’s direction: send text-type messages to FB contacts and others, send voice messages, send video messages, send photos that you take live, send photos that you attach, etc. All of this means that it needs to:

  • access your FB profile
  • access your contacts, in the event you choose to send a message outside of FB, and at any time you choose to do so
  • access the camera if you choose to take a picture or video and at any time you choose to do so
  • access the microphone if you choose to record your voice, make a video, or make a voice call, at any time you choose to do any of the above
  • read the messages and emails you send so that it can give them to you

In light of these things, it becomes obvious why the FB messenger terms of service is written using phrases like “at any time”–terms that frighten people into thinking FB messenger will suddenly start making the phone do things they don’t want it to.

Kevin and I have been using this app for a long time voluntarily on our IPhones. At no time has our data plan suddenly been taken over, our email suddenly been out of our control, have phone calls been made to strange people, etc. We have been the ones to initiate the actions that Messenger takes. It does not then re-confirm what we ask it to do, i.e. “Are you sure you want me to take a picture?”

For a bit more perspective that is somewhat balanced, see this article from the Toronto Star.

About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.

About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.

2 comments:

  1. Sarah, While I agree that FB is not the NSA, and is not amusing themselves watching all of us, there are huge security concerns with this app that are not so easily dismissed. One glaring one is people’s false sense of security when using it. People use the term “PM” or “private message.” It is definitely not that. Facebook has admitted to helping themselves to people’s private content, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they would not go out of their way to protect your content from government intervention. I use the app as well, sadly, it is difficult to avoid. However, I am very, very careful exactly how I use it and what content is conveyed. It is like Gmail, if you have any illusion it is private, you are dreaming.

    1. Please don’t think that I mean to imply there are no privacy concerns here. The things that I am reading are extremely misleading and people are very afraid that FB really is watching them at random, even when they have taken no action to use their devices. These are real questions being asked on my feed, and I felt it was important to counter the articles that are generating them because media are writing things that are leading people into hysteria over this, not into reasonable actions to protect their privacy. Protecting privacy is one thing. Absolute hysteria and accusing FB of spying on daily private life via mobile devices is something totally different. I’m not willing to go there.

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