This was first reported by "The Sunday Times". It says Facebook has admitted to paper that it accessed users’ text messages for a test feature that company is planning to introduce in future.
List of permissions you approve Facebook App for Android phones
facebook text messages |
1) There is no reading of user text messages.
2) On the Android App store, the Facebook app permissions include SMS read/write.
3) The reason it is on there is because we have done some testing (not with the general public) of products that require the SMS part of the phone to talk to the Facebook App. That’s what the read&write refers to – the line of communication needed to integrate the two things.
4) Anyway – we have yet to make any such features available to the public. (so the Sunday Times is completely wrong when it says Facebook is reading people’s SMS. Wrong on the terminology, and wrong on the suggestion that it has been implemented).
5) But Facebook is right to insert this into the Android app permissions – because yes, the app technically has the capability to integrate with the phone’s SMS system – even if that is just for our own testing.