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back to article Facebook frees Messenger from its gilded cage

Online ad network Facebook has made it possible for new users to sign up for its Messenger chat service without the need to first be a member of its social network. All that’s required is a phone number. The sign up option is initially available in four countries - the US, Canada, Venezuela and Peru – but is expected to flow …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The biggest consumers of battery power are applications that run automatically when the smart phone ignites. Those are apps like Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Kik, and WhatsApp. These applications run constantly in the background and are constantly connected to the Internet...

    Permissions required for Messenger:

    Identity - find accounts on the device / read your own contact card

    Contacts - read your contacts /Location

    approximate location (network-based) / precise location (GPS and network-based)

    SMS - receive text messages (MMS) / receive text messages (SMS) / send SMS messages / edit your text messages (SMS or MMS) / read your text messages (SMS or MMS)

    Phone - directly call phone numbers / read call log

    Photos / Media / Files - read the contents of your USB storage / modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

    Camera - take pictures and videos

    Microphone - record audio

    Wi-Fi connection information - view Wi-Fi connections

    Device ID & call information - read phone status and identity

    Other - receive data from Internet / download files without notification / read sync settings / view network connections / install shortcuts / control vibration / run at startup / change your audio settings / draw over other apps / full network access / change network connectivity / read battery statistics / send sticky broadcast / prevent device from sleeping / read Google service configuration

    Massively invasive, privacy murdering, baby eating, battery hog...

    3 1 Reply
    1. Gene Cash Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      > when the smart phone ignites

      Are they using Dell batteries again??

      1 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      > Permissions required for Messenger:

      To be fair, for an audio and video capable messaging application, there isn't much in that list that they could do away with (different discussion: Android permissions architecture).

      Still, it'd be great if these companies stopped trying to reinvent XMPP. I'm certainly glad they weren't around when email was created, or the telephone for that matter.

      0 0 Reply
      1. Dr. Mouse
        Reply Icon

        Still, it'd be great if these companies stopped trying to reinvent XMPP

        And SIP, and 101 different open standards which would let people communicate with each other in a seamless manner.

        Just imagine if Messenger/Whatsapp/iMessage/Skype all ran on open standards. They could all integrate with each other, and it wouldn't matter which platform you used. You could communicate from PC, Laptop, Tablet or Phone with anyone, no matter what software each decided to use.

        OK, dreaming over...

        0 0 Reply
  2. Electric Panda
    Trollface

    Déjà vu

    A messaging service available on mobile that only requires a phone number?

    What a jolly good idea!

    1 0 Reply
  3. VinceH

    "The move is designed to turn Messenger into its own social network, rather than leave it tied to the existing Facebook platform."

    Not quite. The move is an attempt at mopping up people who have friends who are on Facebook but who aren't on Facebook themselves. Once they are on the Messenger platform, that means they've given more identifying information about themselves to Facebook than they were able to obtain previously.

    3 0 Reply
  4. phil dude
    Joke

    anonymous habits...

    Of course, under lollipop there are better controls, and Android-M is still more fine grain.

    Then again, not using your real name is probably a better plan....

    Yours

    Zaphod Beeblebrox's Other head

    0 0 Reply

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