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This week I poked around on the ReadWrite news feed on feedly and I stumbled upon the article "Facebook Can Now Spy On You Surroundings Via Your Phone's Microphone" written by Selena Larson. I have to say I was so infuriated by this article and I think everyone should be aware what Facebook is doing. Recently a new Facebook feature was announced where they can automatically identify TV shows and music you are listening to in the background when updating your Facebook news feed status. "Any identified music you share will give your friends a 30-second song
preview. Facebook will also post the exact season and episode of a show
you're watching if you share it, although the social network also makes
the oddball claim that such sharing will somehow allow you to “avoid any
spoilers and join in conversations with your friends after you’ve
caught up” (Larson, 2014).
Facebook claims that they will not store any sound in their data collections. Meaning they are not recording any conversations you may be having. I find that extremely hard to believe! They do admit that the capability is there but they are choosing not to do this. This is a complete violation of privacy. In my mind I would categorize this feature as spyware, just another way for the government to control society through social media. Unbelievable. Consider this article the next time you are using Facebook.
Larson, S. (2014, May 21). Facebook Can Now Spy On Your Surroundings Via Your Phone's Microphone. ReadWrite. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://readwrite.com/2014/05/21/facebook-spying-mobile-microphone-music-tv#awesm=~oFbEeedB9Mp1n2
I saw this article on the RSS feeds but did not read it. Now I plan on reading it! I feel as if this is an invasion of privacy into the lives of Facebook users. Do the users have a say in if the information is shared? I know you said that they are allowed to post it or not, but does Facebook automatically post this information first? As technology continues to become a major role in our lives I think more people need to be aware that it isn't always the most convenient method of communication!
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! I'm not a huge Facebook fan as it is but now I'll be sure to stay away from it all together!! It doesn't seem legal for them to do that!! Thanks for sharing and I'll be sure to share this.
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