Your mobile number used for Facebook login authentication, is not in safe hands and turns out anybody, including your friends can get hold of it.
For this, the social networking giant is facing backlash, for asking users to add phone numbers in the first place, which can be accessed by advertisers also.
The two-factor authentication is designed as a second layer of security for users to authenticate their identity on the social media platform.
The debate was initiated by Jeremy Burge, who runs the website Emojipedia, saying numbers added to use two-factor authentication were now searchable. He explained the issue at hand via a Twitter thread on 4 March.
"For years Facebook claimed... adding a phone number for 2FA was only for security. Now it can be searched and there's no way to disable that," Burge added.
What’s concerning is Facebook’s integration with other popular platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, both making use of a user’s number, and sharing with its parent company.
"Facebook 2FA numbers are also shared with Instagram which prompts you 'is this your phone number?' once you add it to FB. WhatsApp also shares phone numbers with Facebook. Facebook shares phone numbers with advertisers," said Burge in a series of tweets.
In a statement to The Guardian, Facebook said it has been receiving questions about two-factor authentication and phone number settings on Facebook.
"Two-factor authentication is an important security feature, and last year we added the option to set it up for your account without registering a phone number. Separately, the 'Who can look me up?' settings are not new and are not specific to two-factor authentication, the statement read.
"In April 2018, we removed the ability to enter another person's phone number or email address into the Facebook search bar to help find someone's profile."
This is just another black mark for Facebook and its concerning privacy policies, putting millions of users and their digital existence at risk. The Cambridge Analytica scandal has created enough doubts among its users that more and more people are doubting its credibility nowadays.
Add to that, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook has hinted that WhatsApp and Instagram will get integrated into a unified platform in the couple of years.
Mobile number is a crucial part of everyone’s day-to-day digital activities. Most security experts would say that two-factor authentication is the ideal way of protecting users’ accounts.
But sadly, Facebook seems to be proving that not all security measures are fool-proof. This isn’t the last of Facebook misgivings for this year but hopefully, users are aware of these issues present on the platform.
(With IANS inputs)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)