/2011/08/12/339/
{"item":{"status":"visible","url":"\/2011\/08\/12\/339\/","trash":"","name":"339","parent":"","title":"Facebook commits data theft","date":"2011-08-12 09:47:57","filepath":"posts\/2000339_339.xml.json","type":"post","content":"<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-340\" style=\"margin: 5px;\" title=\"burglar\" src=\"http:\/\/www.8bitrobot.com\/media\/uploads\/2011\/08\/burglar.jpg\" alt=\"burglar\" width=\"81\" height=\"128\" \/>Recently there has been an uproar over Facebook's recent behavior of stealing contact phone numbers from people's smart phones. \u00a0Most articles try to downplay the ramifications and call the news \"a rumor\" or \"a recent meme.\"\n\nThis would be fine if Facebook posted a dialog notifying the user what they are doing and forcing the user to accept before using the Facebook application. \u00a0This is the case on the iPhone, so Facebook hasn't broken any laws there.\n\nHowever, the situation on\u00a0<strong>Android <\/strong>is different and Facebook clearly acted <strong>illegally<\/strong>. \u00a0Facebook took the contact numbers <strong>without <\/strong>notifying the phone user. \u00a0The user doesn't even need to run the Facebook application for Facebook to take your information. \u00a0This is exactly what spyware does.\n\nSpyware and many\u00a0Trojans\u00a0want to collect contact information like email addresses to they can sell the information to spam houses with flood mailboxes with messages about Viagra or Nigerian scams. \u00a0Facebook is just the same.\n\nFacebook needs to grow its user base. \u00a0So, it felt it was okay to <strong>steal <\/strong>people's contacts. \u00a0They want to get the information of your friends not yet on Facebook so they can try to bring them into the fold.\n\nThis is clearly <strong>data theft<\/strong>!\n\nHere is a letter I sent to Sprint since they are also on the hook for this. \u00a0I suggest you do the same:\n<blockquote>Facebook stole my contact phone numbers off my HTC Evo phone (and my wife's phone) with out notifying us. \u00a0This is\u00a0data theft and is illegal.\n\nNot only that, I cannot remove the Facebook application from my phone due to Sprint's restrictions and HTC Sense. \u00a0I would have to root my phone and void my warranty to do so.\n\nSince Sprint put Facebook on my phone and I am unable to remove the application from my phone, Sprint is partly to\u00a0blame for the data theft.\n\nWhat are you, Sprint, going to do about this? \u00a0This is a very serious issue.\n\nReference: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/237940\/facebooks_phonebook_fiasco.html\">http:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/237940\/facebooks_phonebook_fiasco.html<\/a><\/blockquote>\nIf you haven't noticed, this behavior is grounds for a lawsuit. \u00a0Both Sprint and Facebook should be sweating over this."}}
