By default, Facebook has your friends list, the list of people you are friends with on Facebook. This information is public and can also be consulted by others. In addition, Facebook sometimes has access to your contact list, if you have given permission for this. However, it can also happen that Facebook has read your contact list without asking. You can disable this and thus prevent Facebook from removing unsolicited addresses, telephone numbers and other information from your address book.
Prevent Facebook from reading your contact list
The first step is to prevent Facebook from reading your address book at all. When logging in, make sure you do not give permission to see which friends are already on Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram. Synchronizing contacts is a standard feature in all Facebook services, but you are not obliged to use it.
Keep in mind that Facebook has even more apps. If you have given permission for WhatsApp or the Instagram app to consult your contact list, Facebook still has that information.
Disable contact list sharing in the app
You can also control it in the mobile app so that Facebook no longer uploads contact information from your device. You need to disable this in two places: in the Facebook app itself and in Messenger.
This is how it works in the Facebook iOS app:
- Open your account photo, bottom right of the screen.
- Go to Settings and Privacy > Settings.
- Scroll down until you see the heading ‘Device permissions information’.
- Check what it says under Contacts. If it says ‘Not allowed’, then you’re in the right place.
- If not, tap View information and choose the ‘Not allowed’ option.
Disable contact sharing on Facebook.com
You can disable synchronization of contact information and your address book via Facebook.com in the browser:
- Make sure you are logged in to Facebook.com.
- Go to the people management page (found here).
- You will see a list of contacts that Facebook has collected. Delete All lets you throw them all away. You can also delete specific contact details.
You have to disable this in both apps, so in Facebook itself and in the Messenger app. Messenger will automatically erase all saved phone contacts. The Facebook app does not do this, but as indicated above you can also arrange this via the website.
You can also tap Manage Contacts > Delete All Contacts under the People section in Messenger. However, make sure that you have also disabled contact syncing, otherwise the list will quickly fill up again.
