What FACEBOOK really knows about you....

a reply to: AccessDenied

Of course, I apologize. Shouldn't have lumped you with everyone else.

This Thread is not really about how people use Facebook and I find most of the comments in the Thread irrelevant only because they distract from any discussion about Facebook's behaviour.

Other than targeted sales and marketing, what would Facebook need all that detailed data for?

a reply to: TonyS

There have been stories, some were even true apparently, of employers demanding employees, or would-be employees, tell them their facebook, or myspace, passwords, etc...

Even were I a user of fb, or twitter, that would be a no go from the get go.

only if your stupid enough to enter that information, and don't use an adblocker and click on every popup.

originally posted by: teapot
This Thread is not really about how people use Facebook and I find most of the comments in the Thread irrelevant only because they distract from any discussion about Facebook's behaviour.

Other than targeted sales and marketing, what would Facebook need all that detailed data for?

Overall there data collection is tipping into the excessive and most people see it as harmless data collection, some see it as 'fault to only those that input it'. Well, regardless of what someone may feel there is still lots and lots of people that are unknowingly signing over their identity. As there is much more detailed information being gather and ofcourse not just by Facebook. If you run Ghostery plug in and visit this site, it has its own trackers. They are taking information regarding browsers, operating systems and so forth. This regardless of what they make out, is an invasion of privacy. You can only imagine the shear length they go to, to learn more about its users. Facebook is not built on its users but its ability to learn about people. Hence the reason it became so big, elites pump money into such public testing.

a reply to: seagull

You and me both.

originally posted by: teapot
This Thread is not really about how people use Facebook and I find most of the comments in the Thread irrelevant only because they distract from any discussion about Facebook's behaviour.

Other than targeted sales and marketing, what would Facebook need all that detailed data for?

Deal made by these net service companies reporting back to alphabet agencies, records in case law enforcement wants personal info turned over, etc.

FB and osites and e-mails aren't the only ones even Microsoft is in on it. On how Windows 10 sends data:

Windows 10 sends personal data to Microsoft, even if users tell it not to Microsoft has already come under fire for the default privacy settings on the new operating system

— but even tweaking those doesn’t seem to fix all concerns

source

a reply to: BlackProject

A lot of that, they can only know if we tell them. Location, sure, from the IP, but the rest? They can't even know if someone is honest in what they post. For people that post a lot, of course, they can tell all of that, and more. There are reasons I barely visit the site. Mostly, just to check up on relatives.

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes
a reply to: BlackProject

A lot of that, they can only know if we tell them. Location, sure, from the IP, but the rest? They can't even know if someone is honest in what they post. For people that post a lot, of course, they can tell all of that, and more. There are reasons I barely visit the site. Mostly, just to check up on relatives.

Well considering they can use super cookies to plant on any user which resides on the local machine hard drive so that no matter what you hide behind, or how you post they can and could track anyone in any way they wish. Assigning a cookie of this nature to a user, could theoretically stamp anyone a digital online signature. The way you write can also be used as your personal signature, yep even how you type. There is various methods a website like this could be collecting data on mass. However I am not being paranoid about this one website, all websites act like this some worse then others. My real point was to point to some users how being more careful with their connections and information is important.

originally posted by: stinkelbaum
only if your stupid enough to enter that information, and don't use an adblocker and click on every popup.

Think about the people that do not know this. If you do not care, then ok. Just your comment is showing you already know not to give such information over, thats good to hear.

a reply to: BlackProject

a reply to: dreamingawake

This excessive data mining by commercial entities that are in bed with government agencies, I find quite chilling.

Certainly, I know people that do not care, people who believe powerful organisations, groups and individuals can 'know' anything they want anyway. These same people buy into the 'I have nothing to hide' narratives being spread by the same voyeuristic entities that want to know every detail about the lives of ordinary people.

I have even had someone explain to me that "it does not matter what 'they' know or don't know, if 'they' want to 'get me', they will find a way no matter what I put up online. So I may as well just be me and screw 'them'."

I wonder if there will come a time when children will be placed in 'care' because their parents agree with corporal punishment or if people will find themselves facing extra taxation or debtors goal because they did not satisfy some corporate agenda on bill payments.

a reply to: BlackProject

i use facebook - for " reasons "

any YES - there are issues with FB privacy - but have you actually read the list you cited ?????????????????

54. Users who have created a Facebook event
55. Users who have used Facebook Payments
56. Users who have spent more than average on Facebook Payments
57. Users who administer a Facebook page
58. Users who have recently uploaded photos to Facebook

i has quote-mined the most idiotic of your laundry list - just to demonstrate its hilarity

quoting lists like that just makes you look like a kook

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
a reply to: BlackProject

i use facebook - for " reasons "

any YES - there are issues with FB privacy - but have you actually read the list you cited ?????????????????

54. Users who have created a Facebook event
55. Users who have used Facebook Payments
56. Users who have spent more than average on Facebook Payments
57. Users who administer a Facebook page
58. Users who have recently uploaded photos to Facebook

i has quote-mined the most idiotic of your laundry list - just to demonstrate its hilarity

quoting lists like that just makes you look like a kook

Not wishing to point out the list really, but the fact of how websites track information. I agree that those in that list are not of importance, however it was a quoted list. Not something I wrote.

I am far aware of what goes on in regards to internet privacy so no need to attempt to tell me something I already am aware of.

I said many years ago that Facebook is basically your psychological profile, so if you don't want TPTB knowing your profile don't maintain a Facebook page, for those of us who are not ashamed of who we are there really isn't anything to worry about. I personally have no shame of who I am our what I believe in, so I really don't care who analyzes my profile, the only thing they are going to find is that I'm MOSTLY normal and I live a rather boring life, I make mistakes, I correct myself when I'm wrong. I do the best i can to help others. I have a strange sense of humor. I have good will for others, and I don't have a problem with people suffering the consequences of their own actions. I appreciate when karma kicks someone's but, and I don't complain when it kicks mine. We all have lessons to learn in life and none of us is perfect.

originally posted by: ignorant_ape

54. Users who have created a Facebook event
55. Users who have used Facebook Payments
56. Users who have spent more than average on Facebook Payments
57. Users who administer a Facebook page
58. Users who have recently uploaded photos to Facebook

i has quote-mined the most idiotic of your laundry list - just to demonstrate its hilarity

All sound pretty innocuous don't they?

54. FB and it's associates can mine information about political leanings, known associates, spending habits. FB can determine how much members spend on their personal interests.

55. FB and it's associates can now share information about bank accounts, how many a member may have, how each account is used and track spending habits

56. FB and it's associates now know who to target when seeking increased revenue

57. FB and it's associates can now more easily identify and track personal contacts, links between people, casual financial transactions, find vulnerabilities to exploit

There is nothing innocuous about this data mining. But people keep buying into the passive aggressive idea that if they have done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about. With their consent, the right to privacy, to being a private individual, is being eroded. Before long, those that still value privacy will be vilified. If this continues, it will not be long before society resembles the final scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) where Donald Sutherland points and screams in horror at Veronica Cartwright who, unlike him, is still a person.

Regularly check your privacy settings.
Use Ghostery.
Use Adblock.
Use FB Purity.

No doubt it started as a social network but I reckon it is being looked at now as the greatest advertising tool ever, and at that one that people are happy to use. It doesn't get much more "direct targeting" than this.

It's not a secret that Facebook sells demographics and analytics data to marketing and advertising firms.

What do people expect? That they enjoy a worldwide social media platform at the cost of nothing?

Naive would be an understatement.

Nobody put a gun on anyone's head when they signed up for Facebook. Either they're too dumb to read the fineprint or they just don't care.

No one can have their cake and eat it too. Especially on the made up world called the internet.

I've been using Adblock for years now and have had no problem with advertisements with Facebook. But now Facebook has worked away around that and for about a week or so, I think two maybe, I've been getting advertisements on Facebook.

It gives me advertisements on things I'm interested in, even stuff on Expat stuff, even though I do not have where I was born. And the advertisements are pretty spot on with the stuff I use Facebook for.

Now I only use Facebook as a news aggregate and not as a means of social contact with people. Sure I do talk with people in posts and replies to posts etc, but that's about it. I get people that will IM me from time to time because of something I stated in a post somewhere, or by just looking at my Facebook profile.

I have no personal information on it. I have never answered any of their questions about my personal life, as I think it is none of their business.

I do use Facebook every morning, though, to scroll through and see the news, I have a lot of tech sites I follow, and also several artists and photographers. And other things of interests. I probably have around 150 or 200 pages I follow. That's it.

How Facebook Uses Data to Target Adds

This is a simple and good article about how Facebook targets you for adds. Even when you don't give it any or hardly any personal information if you have any friends added to Facebook it will use their data to help complete a profile about you.

There are a few programs that can help was well. One was mentioned in the OP:
Ghostery.
Adblock Plus as well.

There is a chrome plugin called Facebook Disconnect that creates a lightweight firewall preventing it from tracking websites you go to.

I also recommend HTTPS Everywhere.

For deleting tracking cookies and others get CCleaner and Glary Utilities and run them perhaps at least once a week.

Aside from those few things I do recommend doing as I do and going through and deleting all social and email accounts you use once a year and creating new ones.

Sure your IP will still be tracked if you don't use things such as a VPN or TOR, which I don't think is necessary. But that goes a long way in preventing long term spying on you by these companies for whatever reason.

Oh, and if you use Facebook you can also see what they are tracking about you and your interests here:

Facebook Ad Preferences

There you can see a lot of information on your likes that they have mining from you. You can also remove targeted adds there that you don't want. But even still it is curious to see all the information they have been mining about you.

Great thread on a very important and dangerous problem we all face.
In the near future it will become normal for local and federal governments to have these kinds of capabilities ,all to keep you safe.

Total Information Awareness (TIA) is what they need in order to do it. Dose that sound safe.

TIA was a program of the US Information Awareness Office. It was operated from February until May 2003, before being renamed as the Terrorism Information Awareness Program.

Based on the concept of predictive policing , TIA aimed to gather detailed information about individuals in order to anticipate and prevent crimes before they are committed. As part of efforts to win the War on Terror, the program searched for all sorts of personal information in the hunt for terrorists around the globe. According to Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), TIA was the “biggest surveillance program in the history of the United States

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