Facebook has moved to reassure users that its new Phonebook service will not expose friends’ phone numbers to all and sundry.
The social networking site’s new feature collates all friends’ listed phone numbers together with numbers uploaded by the iPhone Facebook app — if the user has opted to sync contacts.
This naturally led to concerns that the numbers could be seen by anyone, but Facebook says this is not the case.
“Only you can see your Phonebook on Facebook; it can’t be seen by anyone else,” a spokesperson said. “This is the same as online phonebooks or email contact lists many people already have as a back-up.”
Facebook said that numbers were only synced from an iPhone with the user’s approval, adding that users should “make sure your friends are comfortable with any use you make of their information”.
However, the reality is that anyone who has your phone number in their iPhone can upload to to Facebook, often without realising what they have done. The Facebook Phonebook page only provides an option for deleting your own contacts’ numbers.
