Facebook messenger and data protection - you should know that
Facebook is repeatedly criticized for its data protection. However, Facebook Messenger is a standalone app in which the privacy and protection of personal data are not entirely clear to many users. We explain how secure Facebook Messenger is in terms of data protection and show what options there are for more protection.
Data protection with Facebook Messenger
- In the app test from Stiftung Warentest, the Facebook messenger took last place. The reason for this is the poor data protection, according to the experts.
- Since Facebook is required to have a real name, anonymous chatting is not possible. The read confirmation cannot be switched off either.
- The whereabouts can be added to each message. However, many users are not aware that this happens automatically if it has not been deactivated beforehand. You can find instructions on how to switch off the location.
- Like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger requires a lot of permissions, which are not all necessary. These include rights that are questionable from a data protection perspective.
- There is no end-to-end encryption on Facebook Messenger, so the chats can be intercepted and read. For several years now, all messages have been automatically scanned for keywords by software, according to Facebook security chief Joe Sullivan. However, this only serves to prevent crimes. As revealed by the Snowden revelations, intelligence agencies also use software such as XKeyscore to read Facebook chats.
More data protection on Facebook: You can do that
The best solution to better protect your private data in chat is to use a secure messenger. At Stiftung Warentest (2015), the Hoccer messenger even topped Threema. Further tips for more privacy on Facebook can be found below.
- With Scrambls you encrypt your messages so that even secret services can only get to the text with great effort.
- Spread likes on other sites.
- Optimize privacy and data protection in the app.
- Hide your friends list.
- Make your profile, history and posts secure.