Facebook's Privacy Seems To Be Traveling Away

Regarding Facebook, there is no shortage of controversy or concerns facing their users. Whether it be a privacy breach from data misuse, Instagram passwords being compromised or the Cambridge Analytica data collection activities. Facebook has had its share of media attention from excessive permissions or not being upfront about new Terms of Service agreements.

Fast forward and it is brought to my attention that Facebook was advertising "Traveling Friends" to users of the mobile app. I stopped using the mobile app a few months ago after researching the permissions and data collection practices in favor of using a mobile browser that does not allow the same data collection. So I decided to reinstall the app on iOS (Apple iPhone) to see if I could recreate the condition. I searched for "Traveling Friends" and found some pages that appeared to be attempting to convince users that it was legitimate. I decided to try to find it via the "Nearby Friends" feature. There it is.

To be completely transparent, I also had to enable location services and to be able to see all "Traveling Friends," I had to give the app permission to always collect location information. I would not normally enable such a feature out of an abundance of caution. I understand that by having a Facebook account, one cannot attain full anonymity or privacy just as it is impossible to attain even if one avoids social media altogether. From my experience in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), I have found that it is easier to manage one's online presence by having accounts and exercising sound techniques in access controls, app permissions and the data input into the social media platform.
Source: https://www.forbes.com

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