Facebook Updates Reveal Your Info - In the words of SNL's Church Lady "How Convenient"

Before you read further, please remove or mask your home address and phone numbers on personal Facebook pages, please.

Dana Carvey's Church Chat and Church Lady, vintage 1986-1990, always made me laugh.  One of Church Lady's favorite phrases when her guests were crossing the line of morality into immorality was "How Con-veeen-I-ent!".  In case you want to get familiar with Church Lady or take a walk down memory lane, check out some Church Chats at YouTube.

When I read the latest privacy and security alert from Sophos and saw that Facebook was once again making enhancements that would expose email addresses and home phone numbers, I thought, "How Convenient!"

Facebook, when asked about the latest change and if they were concerned about the safety of their customers, they responded they were intending to maximize convenience for its users.

In a recent change to settings, sites like Farmville and other games and applications you interact with when you are on Facebook can access your address and phone number.

Sophos and others vocally pushed this issue with Facebook and they have pulled this enhancement back, for now.

Sources:

"Facebook Update Exposes User Contact Info, Security Expert Says', FoxNews.com, January 17, 2011.


"Rogue Facebook apps can now access your home address and mobile phone number", Graham Cluley, Sophos, January 16, 2011.