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Some people don't want any Facebook software in their phones for legitimate privacy reasons.

curiousgal 10y ago
Emphasis on legitimate, Facebook is giving Google a run for their money when it comes to privacy invasion.
yellowapple 10y ago
Not to mention that Facebook's apps are notorious for their battery usage (probably because of their egregious privacy-violating "features", but whatever).
peteretep 10y ago
What is it that Messenger the app can access that Messenger via Facebook cannot, for people who take their privacy seriously?
- em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
  Privacy concerned users can use wrappers around the Facebook website, such as the open source "Tinfoil for Facebook" or "Face Slim" android apps, then Facebook cannot access certain things (depending on your configuration). If have to use a proprietary facebook app, then likely cannot achieve the same degree of privacy protections.
  - peteretep 10y ago
    I'm sorry. I still don't understand what specific information Facebook can gather from them using their app that they can't from the browser. When I look in my phone settings for the Messenger app, I can switch off it's ability to look at locations, photos, etc. Tinfoil appears to be an app to specifically work around the fact that browsers can leak more information than the app would.
    - em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
      well the facebook app is always on, even in background. It is probably reading every keystroke and touch action, and even every pause between actions. But when accessing the basic browser site inside tinfoil, they can only get http actions you actually transmit, such as likes, login times, page loads, etc.
      - peteretep 10y ago
        You think apps can read the text you type in to other apps without your permission?
        em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
        Of course not other apps. I'm talking about the facebook app itself. When you start typing text, it is presumably reading the delay between every keystroke and all your deletes. However, on the non-js html site, it only can get the text after you submit.
- JoshMnem 10y ago
  I don't put any Facebook software on my phone, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Facebook Messenger. The reason they are forcing people to use Facebook Messenger is to force people who only use the website to install software that tracks you.

Emphasis on legitimate, Facebook is giving Google a run for their money when it comes to privacy invasion.

Not to mention that Facebook's apps are notorious for their battery usage (probably because of their egregious privacy-violating "features", but whatever).

peteretep 10y ago

What is it that Messenger the app can access that Messenger via Facebook cannot, for people who take their privacy seriously?

em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
Privacy concerned users can use wrappers around the Facebook website, such as the open source "Tinfoil for Facebook" or "Face Slim" android apps, then Facebook cannot access certain things (depending on your configuration). If have to use a proprietary facebook app, then likely cannot achieve the same degree of privacy protections.
- peteretep 10y ago
  I'm sorry. I still don't understand what specific information Facebook can gather from them using their app that they can't from the browser. When I look in my phone settings for the Messenger app, I can switch off it's ability to look at locations, photos, etc. Tinfoil appears to be an app to specifically work around the fact that browsers can leak more information than the app would.
  - em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
    well the facebook app is always on, even in background. It is probably reading every keystroke and touch action, and even every pause between actions. But when accessing the basic browser site inside tinfoil, they can only get http actions you actually transmit, such as likes, login times, page loads, etc.
    - peteretep 10y ago
      You think apps can read the text you type in to other apps without your permission?
      - em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
        Of course not other apps. I'm talking about the facebook app itself. When you start typing text, it is presumably reading the delay between every keystroke and all your deletes. However, on the non-js html site, it only can get the text after you submit.
JoshMnem 10y ago
I don't put any Facebook software on my phone, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Facebook Messenger. The reason they are forcing people to use Facebook Messenger is to force people who only use the website to install software that tracks you.