Report: Facebook Messenger Now Offering Creepy “Conversation Topics” Suggestions

privacy_eyeA new feature in Facebook’s Messenger app was spotted last weekend that suggests “Conversation Topics” to users based on what their friends have recently done.  According to a screenshot posted by Uber Developer Experience Lead Chris Messina, Messenger shared the location where two of his friends had just traveled.

According to TechCrunch, other conversation topics that may be suggested include the songs your friends have recently listened to streaming services, recent locations and events they plan on attending. Of course, this revealing new feature has already caught the eye of some skeptical users.

“The impulse behind this idea makes sense, sort of,” Sophie Kleeman wrote in Gizmodo. “Facebook seems to be trying to help you be a more attentive friend, but the feature really just feels like another reminder that the social network is keeping track of your every move.”

Indeed, conversation prompts might be useful if you’re trying to break the ice with someone you’ve never spoke to before or old friends you haven’t seen in a long time, but the actual amount of times that happens in Facebook Messenger is likely low. Instead, it really does feel like Facebook is just flexing its muscles about how vast its collection of user data truly is.


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