Facebook have my mobile number and my friends can see it!!

cormie · 11-08-2011 2:24pm #1

This is really bad form in my opinion, I saw someone's status update yesterday warning about the fact that facebook have the mobile numbers of friends stored in the friend list on facebook. Now as far as I recall, I've never authorised facebook to take my number from anywhere, I've never supplied facebook with my number and haven't signed up for text service or anything like that via facebook either. I'm not so bothered about the fact that facebook may somehow have had access to my number based on things I've connected via my phone, I'm just another of the millions I'm sure they have on file, but I don't like the idea of my number being visible to anyone who happens to be my friend especially without me not having a clue about this until I see a status update.

I never wanted facebook near my mobile in the first place, my Desire came with the facebook app and so did Froyo when I updated, I may have logged in once or twice but that's about it, I didn't actively use it, I didn't sync facebook contacts and I definitely didn't authorise, to my knowledge, facebook scraping my number from anywhere and publishing it to all friends. I even recently updated to Cyangenmod7 and was happy to see the option to leave the facebook app off the phone, which I did of course because I never used it and didn't want my phone which I use for business related in anyway to facebook.

Can anyone tell me how they may have got my number? My brother confirmed that the number is visible from his profile, he thought maybe this is because he may have synched it with his contacts, but then he sees numbers of people he doesn't have the mobile number of in his phone so I'm thinking my numnber is probably visible to everyone aswell. I don't want this.

Can anyone advise on steps to take? It says that I should turn synching off from my mobile device, as far as I know, I never enabled synching with facebook in the first place and I don't want to install a facebook app to turn synching off. It also doesn't explain whether disabling the feature will remove my number, or just my friends numbers and still have my number visible to my friends.

Any feedback appreciated

srsly78 · 11-08-2011 2:33pm

You signed your soul away when you signed up for facebook in the first place. You agreed to their licence.

They have your number because you signed in using their mobile app.

Here is a useful link that will fix your problem: www.suicidemachine.org - an easy way to nuke your facebook account, and other social networks

CiaranC · 11-08-2011 2:37pm

cormie wrote: »

I never wanted facebook near my mobile in the first place, my Desire came with the facebook app and so did Froyo when I updated, I may have logged in once or twice but that's about it, I didn't actively use it, I didn't sync facebook contacts and I definitely didn't authorise, to my knowledge, facebook scraping my number from anywhere and publishing it to all friends.

Your sure you didnt agree to let facebook use your mobile number when you installed the facebook android app?

Keith186 · 11-08-2011 2:58pm

There's many articles online about this. They put up your whole phonebook and matched it against the names of Facebook people including non friends.

They didn't make it clear they were doing it either until they were caught out and had to give some notification.

Check guardian tech section for an article.

Sitec · 11-08-2011 3:05pm

srsly78 wrote: »

You signed your soul away when you signed up for facebook in the first place. You agreed to their licence.

They have your number because you signed in using their mobile app.

Here is a useful link that will fix your problem: www.suicidemachine.org - an easy way to nuke your facebook account, and other social networks

how does that get rid of fb? cant see it

cormie · 11-08-2011 3:14pm

The app came preinstalled as far as I know and as far as I recall, I never actually used the facebook app itself, I may have signed into facebook once on the browser itself, but even that I'm not sure of. I don't think I ever authorised, with my knowledge, facebook on my mobile because I read about it mixing the contacts with phonebook contacts and I didn't want that happening at all so made an effort not to let facebook itself near my phone.

I don't want to nuke my facebook account, but I don't want it near my phone and I don't want my phones information, and certainly not contacts I have on my phone, linked to facebook at all. That's terrible to think the likes of my grandparents and parents numbers might be now on facebook even though they would never have used facebook in their lives and never will but yet facebook can now see "mam" connected to my account with her number.

Do they have my whole contact list on their files now??

testicle · 11-08-2011 3:16pm

Facebook have your number, because you added it to your profile.

Your number is visible to your friends, because you chose to make it so.

There is no other reason.

Idleater · 11-08-2011 3:19pm

if you run the actual fb app on your phone go to the main page (not the news) and press menu -> settings.

There is a contacts entry that has 3 options. You want the third one Remove Facebook Data if it is not already checked.

Keith186 · 11-08-2011 3:20pm

I never added my number to my profile EVER!

But it was there recently after all this shenanigans. They for it from someone else's phonebook who used an iPhone or android to log in.

MrStuffins · 11-08-2011 3:21pm

testicle wrote: »

Facebook have your number, because you added it to your profile.

Your number is visible to your friends, because you chose to make it so.

There is no other reason.

Before your edit I was gonna say "Exactly".

You gave Facebook your number. Did you have to authenticate your profile using your mobile?

Last week I signed up for text alerts and set my number to NOT be visable on my profile in the process. However, it still was. So I had to change it in my settings. This is why I didn't say "Exactly" because it isnt necessarily on view because you chose to make it so!

testicle · 11-08-2011 3:23pm

Facebook does not upload phone numbers and contacts from phones that sync with Facebook.

TouchingVirus · 11-08-2011 3:27pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

Before your edit I was gonna say "Exactly".

You gave Facebook your number. Did you have to authenticate your profile using your mobile?

Last week I signed up for text alerts and set my number to NOT be visable on my profile in the process. However, it still was. So I had to change it in my settings. This is why I didn't say "Exactly" because it isnt necessarily on view because you chose to make it so!

I never gave Facebook my phone number. I never authorised or confirmed my mobile number with them.

What they are doing is uploading your phone contacts to Facebook and using the names/phone numbers from your phone contacts to match with your Facebook friends. You can probably see contacts there like "Home" or non-facebook people too.

It's easily stopped:

Go to settings -> Accounts & Sync -> Facebook/Facebook for HTC Sense -> Uncheck Sync Contacts.
Alternatively, update to the latest facebook app, open it on the home screen (not the news feed), click Menu -> Settings -> Contacts Sync -> Don't sync.

Then go to: https://www.facebook.com/contact_importer/remove_uploads.php?r=/phonebook and click Remove.

Job done. The only contacts who will appear on your list then are those facebook friends who chose not to remove their phonebook syncing, which I still think is a terrible decision - if I want an empty facebook phone contacts page I should get it

. So to sum up, if you want your number not to display on other friends' phonebooks, you must remove phone contacts yourself.

testicle wrote: »

Facebook does not upload phone numbers and contacts from phones that sync with Facebook.

Yes, it does. Before I removed phonebook contacts myself I saw my house phone number, my insurance broker's number, Meteor Customer Care and other non-facebook contacts on the list. The only thing I couldn't do with them was click "Add friend" because they don't have profiles.

Facebook wrote:

Facebook Phonebook displays contacts you have imported from your phone, as well as your Facebook friends.

Atomic Pineapple · 11-08-2011 3:40pm

Pretty sure this thread is in the wrong forum.

prodigal_son · 11-08-2011 3:52pm

I use htc, where on my facebook profile does it show my phone number? I cant see it.

If youre talking about the phonebook app, it does not upload your phone number, it simply searches your phonebook and matches your contacts with your facebook friends, so if you have Paul McBride on your phone, and on your facebook, it links the account on your phone so you can get status and birthday reminders in your phonebook and when they phone you.

If someone else has you on facebook and your phone number on their phone, it links the details on their phone, they didnt get the number from facebook, sometimes it gets it wrong and sometimes you have to manually link.

It does not upload your phone number to the web and share it with the world as far as I know, I cant see it anywhere.

TouchingVirus · 11-08-2011 4:06pm

prodigal_son wrote: »

I use htc, where on my facebook profile does it show my phone number? I cant see it.

https://www.facebook.com/friends/edit/?sk=phonebook

You won't see your number on that page though. Your friends may see your number if you added it to Facebook at some point. There are a few issues with this. Take my own example; I had two friends A and B. Neither of them are in my phone contacts. But when I visited that page yesterday I saw them there because they are my friends and at some point they added their phone number to Facebook. So essentially, facebook gave me their phone numbers.

If youre talking about the phonebook app, it does not upload your phone number, it simply searches your phonebook and matches your contacts with your facebook friends, so if you have Paul McBride on your phone, and on your facebook, it links the account on your phone so you can get status and birthday reminders in your phonebook and when they phone you.

This is completely separate from phonebook linking.

I cannot confirm if Facebook uploads your mobile number. Say for example I have a friend who has me as a phone contact, but also linked me to my facebook account because we're friends on facebook. I don't know if when she uploads her phonebook contacts, Facebook takes my number from her, and then shares it out with everybody else who I am friends with on their respective phonebook contacts page.

testicle · 11-08-2011 4:09pm

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Yes, it does. Before I removed phonebook contacts myself I saw my house phone number, my insurance broker's number, Meteor Customer Care and other non-facebook contacts on the list. The only thing I couldn't do with them was click "Add friend" because they don't have profiles.

Sorry, I should have added... without asking your permission.

TouchingVirus · 11-08-2011 4:19pm

testicle wrote: »

Sorry, I should have added... without asking your permission.

I don't remember seeing a prompt for Facebook to sync my contacts. Even if there was, they must have hidden it well because under no circumstances would I have agreed to let them do it. The first thing I did when this was brought to my attention was turn it off.

Kenny Logins · 11-08-2011 4:40pm

A friend in the UK once told me my mobile number was visible on his Facebook page, I didn't even have a Facebook account, it appears it was somehow pulling numbers from his contacts and displaying them, but not publicly.

The Corinthian · 11-08-2011 4:40pm

This thread has nothing much to do with Android, but it is mobile related, so I'm moving it to the relevant forum.

Now taking off the mod hat for a moment...

cormie wrote: »

The app came preinstalled as far as I know and as far as I recall, I never actually used the facebook app itself, I may have signed into facebook once on the browser itself, but even that I'm not sure of. I don't think I ever authorised, with my knowledge, facebook on my mobile because I read about it mixing the contacts with phonebook contacts and I didn't want that happening at all so made an effort not to let facebook itself near my phone.

I'm afraid that somewhere along the way you almost certainly authorized it - corporations are generally very careful about making sure you agree to these things before doing anything.

Where Facebook is not preinstalled, you would have had to run the app at least once and if it did come preinstalled, the EULA for Facebook was most likely bundled in with whatever EULA you signed off on when first running the phone.

Mobile apps, particularly Android ones, have the potential to invade privacy to a frightening degree, which is why you should always be extra careful whenever you install or update any app or agree to any EULA that comes with it.

Thing is that most people are too lazy to even scan, let alone read EULA's, and then later claim (unconvincingly) they never agreed to anything. In reality, you almost certainly did, but didn't actually read what it entailed when you did.

As a cautionary tale, I recommend you watch this episode of South Park.

cormie · 11-08-2011 5:05pm

Maybe somewhere I did agree to it by not reading a EULA extensively, but I certainly hadn't a clue this was going on until I saw a friends status update on facebook only yesterday. As far as I recall, I never logged into the facebook app but that may not be 100% correct. Now, I don't want my number or any of my contacts numbers being displayed anywhere, even to me. I also don't want to install the app just to disable the feature, does anyone know is it possible to disable and delete all traces of this without installing a facebook app?

super_furry · 11-08-2011 5:06pm

Why would you be 'friends' with someone you don't want having your number anyway?

cormie · 11-08-2011 5:16pm

I have a relatively low number of friends on facebook. I just went through my list and there is nobody I would mind knowing my number. I got a friend request from some unknown person just the other day, I sent a message asking hwo they are and why they want to request to be friends, I haven't heard back and haven't confirmed them as a friend. A lot of people might confirm them and then later delete them, in which time they would have been able to find my numner. I just don't like the idea of it anyway. I tend to keep facebook as place to go to catch up with ****e that doesn't really matter to me, but I guess that's why it's so successful because even people who have no real interest or liking for it, still use it. My phone however is a device I use to communicate private matters with family, friends and customers. I don't want the two mixing. Getting emails sent to my phone through the email address I have associated with facebook is more than enough for me. I've never wanted to use my phone to log into facebook, I may have had to log in once to do something but I can't remember. So if anyone has an idea of how I can disable and delete all traces of this ever happening without installing a facebook app on my phone, please share

verywell · 11-08-2011 6:18pm

FB has put every phone number from my mobile phone book on my account. I have a blackberry 8520. Anyone know who to take the phone numbers off?

mike65 · 11-08-2011 6:34pm

I don't do "facebook" but if you sign up shouldn't you understand what you are signing up to and how to work the levers?

murraykil · 11-08-2011 6:41pm

mike65 wrote: »

I don't do "facebook" but if you sign up shouldn't you understand what you are signing up to and how to work the levers?

They change, add and remove levers often.

krudler · 11-08-2011 7:35pm

testicle wrote: »

Facebook have your number, because you added it to your profile.

Your number is visible to your friends, because you chose to make it so.

There is no other reason.

my number has never been on facebook, nor hae I ever agreed to it being there, its there because someone else synced their phone contacts to facebook and now its on their friends list info.

blaz · 11-08-2011 8:11pm

Wow this is scary. I just looked up the phonebook on Facebook (never knew it existed) and I see all the contacts from my phone on there. I never authorized Facebook to do this, I only authorized it to sync contacts *from* Facebook *to* the phone, not the other way around. I am deleting the Facebook app now and I will be deleting my Facebook account next.

Jagle · 11-08-2011 8:15pm

whats the problem, if they are your friends they should have your number anyway, if your friends with people on facebook who arnt your friends, why are you friends with them. case closed

blaz · 11-08-2011 8:24pm

Jagle wrote: »

whats the problem, if they are your friends they should have your number anyway, if your friends with people on facebook who arnt your friends, why are you friends with them. case closed

My problem is not the fact that anyone would have my number (I have added it to my profile anyway), but the fact that the Facebook app uploaded my contact list to Facebook. I never authorized it to do that. I don't want Facebook to know who is in my phonebook. The Facebook app is gone from my phone now and my Facebook account is going next.

cormie · 11-08-2011 9:54pm

Jagle wrote: »

whats the problem, if they are your friends they should have your number anyway, if your friends with people on facebook who arnt your friends, why are you friends with them. case closed

It's not that simple, people may have friends on their list for whatever reason, but access to a few pages about a person which they might log into every few days to have a look is a lot different to having a direct dial contact to someone for a device that people generally have on 24/7 wherever they go. It's also the fact that even if they do have it somewhere in the EULA, I image 99% of people haven't read that EULA and don't read EULA's in general before signing up, call it naive but I don't think it's unfair to think you're details are kept private enough when signing up to a popular website.

If anyone can advise how I can reverse this without having to install the fb app on my phone please do

BostonB · 11-08-2011 11:05pm

Facebook changes/updates almost always reveal more information about people. I don't think they've ever made a change that hides information. TBH they've made it more complicated so it easier for people to get caught out...

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1566020/facebook-boss-caught-privacy-change

Wonder why...

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2010/05/14/delete-facebook-account-trending-google/

efb · 11-08-2011 11:08pm

Is this the CT forum?

prodigal_son · 12-08-2011 12:13am

TouchingVirus wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/friends/edit/?sk=phonebook

You won't see your number on that page though. Your friends may see your number if you added it to Facebook at some point. There are a few issues with this. Take my own example; I had two friends A and B. Neither of them are in my phone contacts. But when I visited that page yesterday I saw them there because they are my friends and at some point they added their phone number to Facebook. So essentially, facebook gave me their phone numbers.

They dont upload your contacts or your number. This is people who have the privacy setting to friends for their phone number.

I can confirm that none of my contacts were uploaded and no one can see my number. If you want to stop people seeing your number then change the privacy setting.

Account >> Privacy Pref

If you added your phone number either through the security checks, or whatever and left the "share with friends" option checked as default, and then complain that your number was shared, you just look silly.

The friends you see in the contacts, have shared their number on facebook, its very very simple. Some people have always shared their phone number on facebook, others did it by accident during security verifications etc.

blaz · 12-08-2011 8:29am

prodigal_son wrote: »

They dont upload your contacts or your number. This is people who have the privacy setting to friends for their phone number.

Not true. My phonebook contained the number of my bank and my gym plus a couple other company internal numbers - they all appeared in my Facebook phonebook.

The friends you see in the contacts, have shared their number on facebook, its very very simple. Some people have always shared their phone number on facebook, others did it by accident during security verifications etc.

If you delete the contacts that were illegally imported by the Facebook app from your phone then yes, this is what remains, people who have shared their number.

dec2000 · 12-08-2011 1:52pm

article printed on theRegister this morning about this :
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/12/facebook_contact_list_stirs_rumour_pot/

testicle · 12-08-2011 2:43pm

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/12/facebook_contact_list_stirs_rumour_pot/

Note headline, dumbos.

BostonB · 12-08-2011 2:59pm

Trust Facebook at your peril.

cormie · 12-08-2011 3:10pm

I wouldn't say anyone who happens to have had their number published is a dumbo. It's -ev to sit through a huge EULA, privacy policy etc trying to weed out parts you may not be happy with. Something like this should have a prompt to notify you rather than just going ahead and doing it I believe. I never posted my number or connected my number to my facebook account manually, it must have scraped it from my phone, if I agreed to that by somehow doing something on my phone, fair enough, but I certainly wasn't aware of it so to call anyone with the same situation a dumbo for not spending a few hours reading the terms is a bit rich.

Will following the REMOVE link be enough or do I still need to somehow disable it from a mobile device?

BostonB · 12-08-2011 3:14pm

+1 Facebook make things complicated to grab as much info as possible.

KrisW · 12-08-2011 4:00pm

This is a rumour that has grown legs. There is no grabbing of numbers; whatever is there is stuff you've put there, or your friends have put there.

See this summary on The Register

bittihuduga · 12-08-2011 4:47pm

when the phone-facebook sync, the contacts on your phonebook appear on your facebook webpage contacts list. these are the details from your mobile sync.
these details appear only to you and not to everybody.
(details are on internet - this could be a risk, but you chose to sync it at the first point)

your phone number can be viewed in your privacy setting. if its shared with others then yes everyone can see it. if you have selected only me, then the number is visible only to you. but again this is on the internet.

BostonB · 12-08-2011 5:32pm

KrisW wrote: »

This is a rumour that has grown legs. There is no grabbing of numbers; whatever is there is stuff you've put there, or your friends have put there.

See this summary on The Register

It seems to me, that people didn't realise synch on their mobile was putting information up on facebook. They thought it was downloading it to their mobile. Facebook didn't make it clear, with the result that numbers not related to their facebook contacts got uploaded.

Facebook book has a habit of not making things clear resulting in the sharing of information. Never the other way around. They are very dismissive of personal privacy, which I'd be wary of them for that reason.

Kenny Logins · 12-08-2011 5:44pm

Kenny Logins wrote: »

A friend in the UK once told me my mobile number was visible on his Facebook page, I didn't even have a Facebook account, it appears it was somehow pulling numbers from his contacts and displaying them, but not publicly.

Ahem.

blaz · 12-08-2011 7:40pm

There we go.

http://www.bgr.com/2011/08/12/facebook-stole-every-contact-and-phone-number-in-your-phone-heres-how-to-undo-the-damage/

Johnny Storm · 13-08-2011 12:14pm

TouchingVirus wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/friends/edit/?sk=phonebook

You won't see your number on that page though. Your friends may see your number if you added it to Facebook at some point. There are a few issues with this. Take my own example; I had two friends A and B. Neither of them are in my phone contacts. But when I visited that page yesterday I saw them there because they are my friends and at some point they added their phone number to Facebook. So essentially, facebook gave me their phone numbers.

This is completely separate from phonebook linking.

I cannot confirm if Facebook uploads your mobile number. Say for example I have a friend who has me as a phone contact, but also linked me to my facebook account because we're friends on facebook. I don't know if when she uploads her phonebook contacts, Facebook takes my number from her, and then shares it out with everybody else who I am friends with on their respective phonebook contacts page.

I was genuinely shocked when I clicked on your first link and saw ALL my mobile numbers on Facebook. I certainly did not ever give permission for this (unless the permission was extremely dishonestly hidden or disguised).

This has really soured me on Arsebook.

Thanks to all for bringing this to my attention and for the method to undo it.

For my info, if you have Twitter or Google+ on your android phone are they doing the same thing with your phone numbers?

Idleater · 13-08-2011 5:11pm

Johnny Storm wrote: »

For my info, if you have Twitter or Google+ on your android phone are they doing the same thing with your phone numbers?

Assuming you sync your contacts with Google / Gmail then yes Google have all your contacts. Google + I'm not sure why, but it doesn't even seem to sync with Gmail never mind phone contacts :rolleyes:

cormie · 27-12-2011 3:12pm

Has this been done away with? I can't find whatever page I remember seeing before, trying the phonebook link above just takes me to an invite page and I can no longer see anyone number, good if you ask me

mark17j · 27-12-2011 3:21pm

Facebook used to show my mobile also on my profile.
what i did was, click "info" on profile (left side) you should see it there under "Contact information". click edit and "Remove"
or you could choose invisible mode, you can select the setting "Only Me" and no friends will see it.

Facebook have my mobile number and my friends can see it!!

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