Personal data and privacy are the things people expose to platforms such as Facebook. New reports reveal alarming information the social network service gathered about its subscribers.
It is no longer a secret that Facebook collects all sorts of data from its users. Any kind of interaction and activities performed while on the social media platform is apparently recorded and stored by the system.
The recent discovery that the company collected SMS and call history data from Android smartphones disappointed many of its users, which, together with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, now prompted the involvement of the FTC.
Staying Off the Radar
The discovery of the data breach encountered and likewise collected by the social network visibly angered a lot of users. Those who felt affronted have created the #deletefacebook movement that reportedly continues to grow as more users support the cause.
Experts recommend that people who want to keep important information private might want to review whatever they share on the platform. Otherwise, the only other option is to close and delete the registered account.
Knowing What They Know
For people who are curious the extent of information that Facebook currently knows about its users, there is a way to check it out. Sources claim that it is somewhat hidden in plain sight and easily overlooked by casual subscribers.
Users can go to facebook.com/settings or manually click on the small upside-down triangle located on the top right portion of the window. By default, it will open the General Account Settings page, showing the "Download a copy of your Facebook data" just below the options.
It will prompt for the account password and would take around an estimated 10 to 15 minutes to archive all of the data that can be accessed through a link sent to the account's default email address. Next is to click on the "Download Archive" button on the next screen after being prompted to enter the password once more. The zip file should be named "facebook-YOURUSERNAME.zip"
Information Included
According to the users who checked out their downloaded archives, the company has apparently staggering information about its subscribers. Some noted that the information listed was incorrect and it is probably due to the wrong data given at the time.
However, all others appear to be quite accurate. It seems questionable as to how the social network platform manages to collect some of its data about its users.
A person's privacy is really important, and so, everyone is advised to be careful about the information they share on Facebook and on other social media platforms.
