It seems as though every time Facebook makes an update to their Terms of Service, new stories pop up about what the new or changed features do to change your experience with the site -- and what new ways the site is adding to the overstuffed folder of data it has collected about you. These pieces seem to show up every few months, and not without legitimate concern: Facebook has the ability to collect a really thorough profile on someone using the site, from religious and political views, to hobbies and interests, to geotagged check ins at various locals, to years worth of photos. With Facebook's ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp as well, those profiles become even more complete. Factor in the number of websites using Facebook's API for third party site account creation (you know, when you have the opportunity to either type in your email and a unique, secure password or just click the Facebook button and gain access to the website immediately by logging in with your Facebook credentials instead?) and the profiles become even more layered.
Wired.com published a piece by David Nield in January 2020 about this particular phenomenon. One of the neat features of this piece was how David highlighted ways to see what kind of advertising-specific profile Facebook has for you. I easily lost twenty minutes scrolling through, laughing at the mismatches and feeling a little exposed from the direct hits. Interestingly, he also noted that a lot of the tools that Facebook has rolled out in the name of controlling who has access to your data do not do anything to erase the profile that Facebook already has of you, or to even stop Facebook from gathering more data. These tools are all about how ads are targeted at you. So with these tools engaged, posting pictures of your newborn might not get you quite as many advertisements for the latest and greatest in diaper technology, but that does not mean that Facebook's profile of you has not carefully noted the new addition to your family -- it just does not specifically send ads for Pampers your way.
Even using Facebook's mobile apps can spell bad news for your privacy. These apps, such as the primary Facebook app, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, receive information about what Wi-Fi networks you connect to, the type of phone you use, other apps you have downloaded, and more (Nield).
If completely removing yourself from all of these websites (and all third-party websites that use the Facebook API for account creation, tracking statistics and more) is a little unrealistic, there are some measures you can take to reduce the amount of data gathered in the future. In the settings for all three apps, be sure to turn off or disconnect every feature or tool that you can related to advertising or 'improving your experience'. Remove applications from your phone and limit mobile use to only within the mobile web browser whenever possible. On desktop sites, choose a browser with robust privacy features and turn off any features that remember your data for later. Skip the geolocation check-ins, sketchy third-party quizzes and tagged photos, and become a social media lurker instead of sharing the play-by-play of your day. To go even more robust, you can add a VPN, or virtual private network, into the mix to shield your location data. It's difficult to remove yourself from Facebook's long reach of data collection should you become wary, but these practices a good idea even beyond its reach to ensure data safety and privacy.
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