Facebook stops sharing members' phone numbers, addresses - for now

Facebook seems to have defused its latest privacy brouhaha by temporarily suspending a feature that would have allowed third-parties to access members' phone numbers and addresses. The issue is the latest bump in the road for the social network, which is trying to expand its revenue stream.

Late last week, Facebook notified consumers that it was making their addresses and phone numbers available to third-parties after consumers approve a “standard permissions dialog” box. Members usually see such notifications when they allow a third-party application to access their information.

Facebook changed course early this morning, noting that it will make some modifications to the way it asks consumers for permission to share their personal data. The Atlantic's Nicholas Jackson noted: “It's still unclear what those changes will be, but the primary complaint was that the new line of text did little to alert users to how sensitive the information is that they would be giving away.”