How to keep mobile Number Private on Facebook – Guide
Facebook says the ability to find someone by searching their phone number on facebook is a feature, not a bug. Facebook says it prevents people from abusing feature limiting how often they can look up phone numbers. If Facebook didn’t restrict this, Facebook users could be at the mercy of marketers, researchers, basically anyone trying to match up.
Facebook denies that the mobile Facebook version has different rate limits than the desktop version. Other security researchers say they have verified this. ..
Limit your contact information
Facebook is scanning people’s contact lists in order to connect with friends on Facebook. This can be a privacy concern, as any rando with your phone number in your contact list could upload it to Facebook by subscribing up for the service. ..
Facebook has a setting that allows people to continuously upload their contact information to show new people to follow. This can be helpful if you want to keep track of new friends and family members who you might not have had a chance to meet yet.
Do you have this enabled on your account? Let’s find out.
In Settings & Privacy, tap Media & Contacts and select Add New Contact.
If you’re using an Android phone, make sure that continuous contact loading is turned off. This will save your battery life. ..
Uploading contacts on iOS is not recommended.
Use an authenticator for 2FA
Last fall, Gizmodo reported that Facebook was using mobile numbers sent for 2FA purposes and contact information pulled from friends’ address books to target ads. This latest uproar comes after a Facebook spokesperson said the company is “working on a fix” to this issue.
Facebook allows advertisers to upload information about the people they want to target, including phone numbers and email addresses. If Facebook has this information in its system, the ad goes out.
Facebook has been giving away phone numbers to people for years, but in May, they added an Authenticator app to the platform that allows users to approve numbers with 2FA instead of their own phone number. This change is a way for Facebook to avoid giving away too many phone numbers and make sure that people have a way to control how their information is shared.
2FA is a security option that requires two forms of authentication when you log into an account—usually your password and a code sent to your phone via text or an authenticator app. To define up on Facebook, go to Settings > Security & Login and look for two-factor authentication. There you can choose how to get your secondary login.
If you choose to use an authenticator app, you will need to download one. I use Google Authenticator (Android, iOS) but you can use whichever app you prefer. To add Facebook, open the authenticator app, tap to add a new account and scan a QR code or enter a code provided by Facebook. Then, when you log in, you enter your Facebook password and open the app to retrieve a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds.
Final note
Facebook has announced that they will be discontinuing their private number feature. This means that after September 30th, 2018, Facebook users will no longer be able to keep their phone numbers private on the site. This change was made in order to make it easier for Facebook to connect with people and provide them with better customer service. This change has been met with mixed reactions from Facebook users. Some feel that the feature was helpful in keeping friends and family separate from their personal life on the site, while others feel that it was a privacy violation. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, it is important to know how this change will affect you if you are using Facebook as your main source of communication. If you are still using Facebook as your main source of communication after September 30th, 2018, there are a few things you can do in order to keep your phone number private. First, you can choose to use a pseudonym instead of your real name when posting on the site. Second, you can create a separate account for personal use and keep your work account separate from your personal one. Finally, you can choose not to share your phone number with anyone on the site. ..
