For years there have been anecdotes from people saying that Facebook secretly uses their phone’s microphone and/or camera for targeted advertising. !!!!!!
A potential technical security bug has been spotted affecting Facebook users using iOS devices. The possible bug, specifically persistent in applications run through iOS 13.2.2 version of the operating system, opens the back camera of the users without authorization.
The problem has been spotted and reported by a number of Facebook users who have recently updated their iOS devices to the latest version of the operating system.
According to one report, the problem happens when a user opens a photo uploaded by another account on their profile through the app. Users claimed that after going through someone else’s profile, by clicking on a picture (the profile picture, for example) and closing it afterward, the screen would skew the Facebook app a few centimeters to the right to open a small window. The small window appears to show the back camera of the phone or device being opened.
A Twitter user, Daryl Lasafin (@dzlasafin), said in a Twitter post: “Facebook app on iOS 13.2.2 opens my phone’s rear camera when I open a profile photo and swipe down to return (look at the little slit on the left of the video). Is this an app bug or an iOS bug?”
For Maddux, his discovery is proof that Facebook is accessing users’ cameras and microphones without their authorization, and it poses a massive risk to people’s security and privacy.
“It’s how Facebook accesses your camera and microphone… This is proof that they are accessing your back camera. They may also be accessing the front camera. If they [Facebook] process that through a facial recognition [system], they could see your actual reaction to posts,” he added.
