@Iglooo - Ghostery is not a google product. It is owned now by a German company called Cliqz
https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/15/14622484/ghostery-ad-tracking-plug-in-cliqz
Here’s a more recent article about Ghostery.
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/03/09/ghostery-open-source-and-new-business-model/
@oldfort It is rare that I’ve seen the end of the quiz request to post on FB that they are accessing your data. Maybe once or twice. Usually the “silly quizzes” don’t mention accessing data at the beginning or end of the quiz. I know because I ALWAYS have said no to things that ask to share data at any point. I’d remember if I’d done a lot of quizzes and had to not share results at the end all the time.
Now… maybe not all quiz/app vendors are properly disclaiming… or maybe FB used to not require disclosure, but recently changed their rules.
@intparent - check out your feeds to see if any of your FB friend shares their results on FB. I have seen people posted “How many states have you visited?” or math quiz results and post them on FB. I didn’t realize when they do they were potentially sharing their FB friends’ info with those vendors too.
Yes, as I said above, I know that some of my friends DO take quizzes that access data. I know because if a quiz result in a froend’s feed looks fun or interesting, I’ll click on it to take it myself. And if I see it says it wants to access data, I bail out without allowing it. But I realize now that just my friend allowing data access is giving some access to my data. But not all quizzes that allow you to post your result access your data.
An example of how FB can connect you to someone you didn’t want them to.
https://gizmodo.com/how-facebook-outs-sex-workers-1818861596
the story is the woman has two separate FB accounts. One for regular work and one for the sex work. She started seeing recommendations for her regular account to friend her sex work clients even though she tried very hard to keep the two separate. It is explained in the story.
“Facebook representatives confirmed that Cambridge Analytica representatives met with Facebook on Tuesday to discuss lifting the ban. Mr. Zuckerberg told The Times he did not rule out allowing Cambridge Analytica back, saying Facebook must first conduct a “full forensic audit of the firm” and “have full confirmation that there’s no wrongdoing here.”
Mindboggling.
I’m not sure where the surprise is coming from. Surely no one thought Facebook was “free,” and the Obama campaigns were very open about their use of the data.
Zuckerberg is missing a chip.
@dadoftwingirls , that Gizmodo article is really frightening. I’ve always disliked the People You May Know feature because I sometimes search for people out of curiosity and I don’t want my photo coming up on their PYMK feed. I wish Facebook was more upfront about what data it uses to make friend suggestions.
@zoosermom, I accepted that I’d be exposed to their advertisemnet. I thought that was a fair price to pay. But they were doing more than that. Their “secret method” of collecting my personal data and selling it in a way I could be identified is not acceptable. On top of that, if my FB friends do something I have no control over, I am equally exposed to data mining whether I agree to it or not. Now, their “secret” method of collecting my data is beyond creepy. I will have to delete my account as others are doing. FB is not going to change its ways. That’s how they were making big money. Dosallowing third parties assess to FB data is not enough. FB should stop collecting personal data.
This article explains what was done in 2012 and by CA in 2015-2016. Yes people volunteered their own data but also their “Friends” list which was the really important part.
You can get an idea of how your data (yours and those of your FB friends) is being gathered, analyzed and used.
The article starts off political with why is one side praised for doing this and criminal for the other. Political spin.
The good stuff starts off a third of the way down with the sentence, " The Obama 2012 campaign …"
http://freebeacon.com/blog/facebook-went-ideal-way-reach-voters-weaponized/
@dadoftwingirls IMO the article is missing the point: They both went to FB to get voters’ personal data. And that FB makes it available for profit while not entirely forthcoming with users about what it collects and how it uses what it collects. Pitting Dems and GOP is a bit distracting.
OMG! Facebook is free. How do you think they stay in business? By selling everything they know about you. I don’t even have my photo up on my account, and I post nothing.
Then you shouldn’t have a Facebook account.
It’s been clear since at least the last election what they were doing with the data.
I do some legal work in the privacy area and work for a company in a business where we need to have data on our customers. I can assure you that there is no privacy anymore. I have accepted that and the Facebook thing really doesn’t bother me. That ship has sailed. All your information is out there anyway.
I get that privacy is getting scarece. But what FB did goes far beyond typical privacy invation. Clearly FB is the only one going that far since both political parties relied on FB to supply needed info. It’s equally shocking how readily people accept the situation.
There is really no privacy. Drones, Facebook, Siri, you name it. Everyone and everything is spying on you. However, what CA did was shady and illegal. And it apparently breached the agreement it had with FB. That needs to be dealt with.
It is not that hard to figure out one’s identity if you follow that person’s anonymous posts for a while. Back in the Rahodeb day, my buddies busted some YSMB posters that spread false info… by figuring out who they were (disgruntled employers, usually) - without supercomputer power or geolocation capacity, lol.
So I am not surprised at “people you might know” thing. LinkedIn recommends me to link to the realtor who sold us the first house like 25 years ago? I never communicated with him by email or my current phone number. How does LinkedIn know that - of all people - I should know Jim? Public records and MLS data.
I don’t “accept” it as much as I’m resigned to it. I feel powerless to stop it.
Here’s talk of another form of IP tracking by companies.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/airlines-charging-different-fares-for-different-people