After the latest data leak scandals, one would expect Facebook not to do anything more risky. However, it seems that the company continues to behave very irresponsibly regarding data protection and the privacy of its users, and is no longer able to easily earn their trust.
A shocking new development has now come to light, as it has been revealed that the Facebook app for Android is asking users for “superuser” permissions on their phones. For those who don’t know, Superuser mode, also known as God Mode or root access, can expose your device to all sorts of risks.
Over the weekend, many Android smartphone owners expressed their concerns via Reddit and Twitter. They have also posted screenshots showing the app requesting root access “forever.”.
In case you're wondering if the apps were installed through a third-party app store, that's not the case. This is the case with the official app installed from the Google Play Store.
Security researchers have pointed out that it could be due to the WhiteOps SDK (Via Bleeping Computer) that is integrated into the app to detect ad fraud. This popup has been appearing on some devices for at least a week.
Later, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the popup in question was indeed due to a coding error.
After the incident was reported, the company issued the following statement: "We do not need or want these types of permissions and have already fixed this issue. We apologize for any confusion.".
