Amid discussions about TokTok’s impending ban and data security, a former tech worker warned social media users that one popular app is alarmingly bad with data privacy.
The former IT worker shared the app with the worst data privacy and the scary way it mines all of your information.
It’s not TikTok, Instagram, or even Facebook itself that has Jeremey, a content creator with 13 years of IT experience, sounding alarm bells. “At the very top of the list, the worst offender, the worst app for data privacy, is Facebook Messenger,” he claimed.
He explained that it doesn’t matter if you’ve deleted Facebook off your phone or gotten rid of your Meta account entirely. If you have Facebook Messenger on your phone for any reason, your data is at risk.
“If the only thing from Meta you have on your phone is Messenger and you connect to a Wi-Fi, Messenger makes a map of that Wi-Fi network (and) it collects information about every single device that is connected to that network,” he explained. That includes every phone, computer, tablet, printer, camera, thermostat, smart TV, and Roku device.
“They’re collecting the name of the device, the IP address of the device, what type of device it is, whether or not your device has access to that device. And this doesn’t just happen on your home network,” Jeremy continued. “It happens on every WiFi network you connect to.”
Jeremy warned that Facebook Messenger also collects detailed information from your devices.
He insisted that the app gathers “a crap ton of information from your actual phone,” including names, phone numbers, email addresses, and social links of everyone in your contacts. Messenger also has access to your location history, browsing history, a detailed list of every single app that has ever been installed, and perhaps most concerningly, your passwords.
Many users don’t even realize that when they sign up for the app, they agree to sacrifice their data.
“You give consent just by downloading the Messenger app,” Jeremy warned. “Downloading the app gives consent for your phone to be used as a data collection device, to collect data about every place you go and every person you’re in contact with.”
Facebook has an extensive history of data concerns.
While the United States government is worried about TikTok, they seem to have no issue with Meta’s, particularly Facebook’s, alarming history of data concerns.
The app has experienced countless data breaches over the years, from 2007 to most recently in February 2024. In 2019, Facebook was forced to pay a $5 billion fine to settle privacy concerns. So, if you’re worried about protecting your data, it may be time to ditch Facebook and its associated apps.
“If you find yourself in the mood lately to get rid of your Facebook, your Instagram, your WhatsApp, and all of your Meta stuff, don’t forget about Messenger,” Jeremey concluded. “In fact, make Messenger a priority.”
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
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