Facebook Is Going Back To Giving 3rd Party Apps Your Phone Number & Address Despite Criticism

It looks like Facebook is going back to giving out your mobile phone numbers & addresses to 3rd party applications & external partnered websites you use despite the criticism from users, members of Congress & privacy advocacy groups. 

Yes even external sites you use. If you use Facebook to connect with them then you must allow them access as well. The external sites that use Facebook Connect are considered developers and 3rd party apps and are bound by Facebook policy not to share that info with others. But there are no real controls to regulate them and prevent them from doing this. 

Thank you Mashable for use of this graphic

This feature was originally pulled due to users complaining back on January 18th and then U.S. Reps. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) asked CEO Mark Zuckerburg for clarification on what information was already out there and what they would be doing to protect minors privacy. 

Facebook responded with this letter HERE and Congressman Markey was not please and let them know that in a statement on his website that he would be monitoring Facebook's Privacy policies very closely.  

So what does all this mean to us? Well Facebook is going to continue to do as it pleases and then think about the consequences afterwards. They are going to re start giving out our private data to 3rd party apps but they will probably have it clearly marked so it covers them legally that you said you were willing to share this information.

There has been no Official date when they are restarting this but rest assured it is coming as the letter to Congressman Markey & Barton has indicated.

The problem I am hoping they have that will make them change their mind is that these 3rd party apps will find that we are not willing to share this info even if it means we dont get to play those games or use those applications. Which will mean a major drop in revenues to the developers and Facebook. 

And maybe we should all restart another email campaign to their legal department to let them know our displeasure with this decision to restart this back up. It worked the first time.  legal@fb.com