this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
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Privacy
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Well, that's not necessarily true.
Some apps, alongside providing their core functionality, such as messaging, also collect a lot of information from all the permissions they are granted on your device.
Think for example constant location tracking or collecting your contacts, as I believe Facebook Messenger does.
It could be possible to provide a front-end that blocks certain requests or spoofs information.
Of course, that doesn't stop them from collecting information you directly provide to them by using the service, such as profile information, direct messages, interactions etc.
I suppose you could use these services as a skulker which doesn't have an account (or a semi-anonymous one) whilst denying all permissions and providing as little information as possible. It's not wholy black and white.
That said, I do recommend not using these platforms at all if you can. Use alternative platforms that provide similar services. Lemmy vs Reddit is a good example.
It's just not always practical advice for everyone, given that some people have jobs that require social media, or have no other means of contacting some relatives and friends.