Want to know what Facebook has on you? Download the data
LOS ANGELES – Like many, I downloaded the data this week that Facebook compiled about me over the years, and frankly, it was spooky.
I love the social network for showing off my latest photos, staying in contact with old friends and catching up on the latest news. But to get those features, Facebook kept:
❚ Location info of all my contacts. This happened when I joined and Facebook asked if I wanted to connect with other friends by importing my contacts from my computer, which happened to have their phone numbers and sometimes addresses. Facebook has lived with this info since 2007.
❚ Any restaurant or airport where I’ve “checked in.”
❚ The IP address of everywhere I’ve ever logged into Facebook.
❚ My (estimated by Facebook) political and religious views, despite my posts that focus on three areas: photography, work (the latest articles, podcasts and videos) and, occasionally, family.
❚ All my searches on Facebook over the years, names of my followers and facial recognition of me and my friends.
Whoa! After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which an app developer was able to sell personal data to a research firm that said it helped Donald Trump win the election, Facebook apologized. It says it has tightened its policies on what data can end up with app developers since that data leak. Additionally, it will be more transparent about data it collects, the company vows.
Meanwhile, it will roll back some of the ad-targeting tools that have long been available to data brokers.
Want to know what Facebook has on you? Download the data. Go to the Settings section of Facebook (the arrow next to the question mark, top right) and click on “download my da- ta” at the bottom of the page called “General Account Settings.” Then you’ll make your request and await Facebook’s compilation of your data, delivered via email link. Once the file arrives, double-click to open the “index.htm” file in an Internet browser, and look it over.
As I did, you’ll jump over the obvious, such as the names of your Facebook friends, which are listed already on the social network, along with your posts, photos, etc.
Where it gets weird is in the phone numbers — why does Facebook have them?
Separately, Facebook has been collecting information on calls and text messages from Android devices, but the social network defended itself by saying it sought permission to do so. It was sold primarily as a feature for Facebook Messenger to help “you find and stay connected with the people you care about,” Facebook said.
Meanwhile, you don’t need to download the file to find out which advertisers have targeted you and have your personal information, including what your religious and political persuasions are.
Again, in the Settings section in Facebook, head to the Ads section by clicking on “Ads” in the left menu. Here you can try to play havoc with Facebook’s algorithm by deleting as many of the assumptions it has come up with.
One section definitely is worth clicking “no” to: the ad settings where Facebook asks if it can create ads for you based on websites and apps you visit.