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Software developer Dylan McKay was the first to discover that Facebook gathers call and message history on Android devices when he downloaded a copy of his Facebook account data in the General section of Settings.
Facebook gathers call and message history on Android devices
Dylan McKay's discovery has been confirmed by Ars Technica. With the Facebook data leak scandal, Cambridge Analytica has become the focal point of public attention, and it seems that Facebook has collected call and message histories for this purpose. However, Facebook's app only has access to information allowed by the Android structure and then with user consent.
According to Ars, if users use versions of Android prior to Jelly Bean that allow Facebook to read their contact information, it means users inadvertently allow the app to access call and message histories on Android devices by default.
The app could collect data until Google declined Android API version 4.0 released in October 2017. So, the issue has been addressed and it doesn't affect Android users too much.
In response to the interview, Facebook emphasizes that call and message histories are optional features on Facebook Lite or Facebook Messenger for Android and must be explicitly agreed upon by users.
The company also states that turning off the feature in the app settings will delete all that information. Facebook also emphasizes that the company never sells user data and never collects actual content in user conversations.
To protect your Facebook account, in addition to your password, users should set up 2-factor authentication on Facebook with their phone numbers. For activation steps of Facebook 2-factor authentication, you can check here.
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