Kaspersky does a U-turn, claims they never said Facebook reads your SMS

Cyber-Security firm Kaspersky seems to have done a bit of an about-turn as far as insinuations about Facebook’s Android app goes. After **talking about a feature** in Facebook’s Android app update that reportedly reads SMSes, Kaspersky has washed its hands off the claim.   In a press mail sent to the Indian Express, security giant Kaspersky’s team has clarified that it was “not the source of the news” that said that Facebook was reading SMSes from phones, but has “only commented on the technical aspect”.   The issue seems to have cropped up since Kaspersky’s earlier presser makes it sound like it was making claims about Facebook’s Android app snooping. In a mail yesterday, Kaspersky sent out a statement that read, “Over the last few days there has been a constant scrutiny over Facebook having access to your SMS. Buried within the latest update for Facebook’s Android app is a feature that is causing growing concern among some users.”   It went on to add that in the app permissions menu, the site asks for access to read your text messages – SMS and MMS – as well as add and modify calendar events and send emails to guests without the owner’s knowledge. Kaspersky went on to explain that the logic behind seeking SMS access is that when you add a phone number to your account, Facebook will be able to confirm the authenticity of the number automatically by finding the confirmation code within a text message.   The statement also expressed apprehension over the usage of the word “automatic” while seeking permissions. “The key, it seems to lie in the word ‘automatically’. Surely the app doesn’t need to do this automatically. Facebook could simply prompt me to type in the code manually. Or, at the very least, provide this option,” Kaspersky Lab’s Principal Security Researcher, David Emm, said.   The cyber-security firm also placed emphasis on being aware about the permissions being asked by an app during the time of installation. “Two-factor authentication provides an extra level of security, so it’s good to see Facebook providing this option … As a final note, we’d urge people to carefully check the permissions requested by any app when you first install it,” Emm wrote.   Kaspersky’s notes were carried by the mainstream media and the claims and charges leveled by the company on Facebook’s app were attributed to it. However, an alarmed Kaspersky has issued clarifications, claiming that it is not behind the story and this was merely a commentary. “This email was sent out to media at large hoping that we will get queries & would respond to it accordingly. Kaspersky Lab would thus like to clarify their position and state that they are not holding Facebook responsible for this in any manner & are only commenting on the news that has already been published,” Kaspersky signed off.   While this turned out to be a bit of a gaffe on Kaspersky’s part, the company does make a fair point about checking on app permissions before installing them. Changed permissions on Facebook for Android will indeed be a cause of concern for quite a few people till the social networking website can explain what it needs the ability to read text and multimedia messages, as well as modify calendar events for.