Facebook really wants your phone number, in the name of 'security'

In the wake of password breeches at networking sites like LinkedIn and eHarmony, Facebook is taking some aggressive and unusual measures to allegedly improve the security of your account. They’re asking you to hand over even more personal information – including your mobile phone number.

This nosy request is part of the social networking site’s big security upgrade campaign. Within the next few days, you’ll see a Facebook Security Tips message displaying at the top of your news feed. Millions of you already have it there. This message will tell you how to spot common scams, encourage you to change your password, and then politely ask you to please give them your mobile phone number.

The Facebook Security Tips campaign is already live, and has probably collected another three million mobile phone numbers in just the time you’ve been reading this article. TechCrunch contacted Facebook to get an explanation for collecting mobile phone numbers. Facebook explains that in case your account is hacked, they can instantly send you a text message to change your password. After all, email requests to change a password are often ignored as spam, or can languish unopened for days.

This kind of begs the obvious question, though – if your Facebook account were hacked, would this not provide the hackers with even more of your personal information? Criminal Background Checks

Should you be willing to hand over your mobile number, do not assume it will be kept private. If you click on the “Confirm your mobile number” link in the Facebook security message, the default setting is not Private. In fact, there is no way to change the privacy setting for your phone number on this link. The message boards are already hopping with tales of people who inadvertently made their phone numbers public, in this attempt to “enhance security”.

I’m not sure if these complaints are true. I would try it on my own account, but I am way too a’scared to give Facebook my mobile number, even just for a brief experiment.

You can change the privacy setting on your mobile number, but this requires going into your Facebook profile page and editing the Contact Info. When you add your mobile number from your contact page, you have the privacy options of Public, Friends, Friends except Acquaintances, and Just Me.

Of course, “Just Me” does not mean “Just You”. Facebook keeps every single piece of data on you, and one can only imagine the extensive manner of profiling, microtargeting, and cloak-and-dagger marketing espionage they’re doing with this stuff. At the very least, you’ve got to be certain that they’re profiling you by area code for localized ad campaigns.

On one hand, Facebook does have a plausible-sounding rationale for this – if you’re hacked, they can notify you by text immediately. On the other hand, giving Facebook your mobile number contains some extremely obvious dangers. It’s kind of like inviting vampires into your living room to protect you from zombies. It might work, but you’re going to be exposed to risky and unpredictable consequences.