How do social media companies use your data?įirstly, let’s clarify one point – Facebook and other social media sites don’t technically 'sell' your data to marketers, but they do use your data to sell access to you (or rather your customer persona) for targeted advertising.
Device information: the name of your mobile operator or Internet Service Provider (ISP), language, time zone, mobile phone number, IP address, connection speed, and, in some cases, information about other devices that are nearby or on your network.Your social interactions: what you post, content you consume, the people you interact with, accounts you follow, hashtags, Facebook groups you joined, and any pages you’re connected to and how you interact with them across all platforms.Texts and calls: this may include contacts in your address book, call logs, and your SMS log history.Your current location is also tracked (if you’ve got Location turned on) and this includes the location of a photo or the date a file was created. Location: where you live, the places you like to go, and the businesses and people you're near to.This type of information is subject to special protections under the Privacy Act 1988. This may also include any information you share about your job, employment/education history, relationship status, religious views, political views, health data, and your interests. Personally identifiable information: your first and last name, age, and email address.Besides tracking your posts, likes, and shares, social media sites also collect a long list of data on their users, including: The social media giant was also one of the first companies to use facial recognition, although it has since removed this feature citing concerns about its misuse and potential risks of surveillance. In second place was Facebook, which gives 57% of your data away to third parties. This includes your browsing history, current location, contacts, and even financial information if you’ve purchased through the app. The photo-sharing app shares 79% of your data with third parties like advertisers, according to the study. A recent study by cloud storage firm pCloud found that Instagram was the worst offender when it comes to siphoning off your personal data. Social media sites gather tons of information about their users and most people aren’t aware of just how much of their data is being tracked and saved by these big companies. How much information do social media sites have about you?