Many of my friends and clients know I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. Remember when the “not-to-do” list was simply not posting personal information or posting when you were away from home? The Congressional hearings with Mark Zuckerberg last year lifted the veil on some reasons you may want to rethink what you do on Facebook.
- Download the Facebook App. I know how much we our phones and how convenient is to have Facebook on your phone or tablet, but until Facebook can give me an absolute answer to how the app handles security, I defer from having it on my devices. Even with “location” turned off in the settings I’ve been delivered ad for stores I’m standing in!
- Search the Web. If you go up to the search bar in Facebook and enter a name or anything else it will not only show people and pages on Facebook, but give you links to articles on the web. You don’t think Facebook is noting these searches? Was this part of the data sold to Cambridge Analytica? Who else gets this data and what do they do with it? Does it really enhance my web experience by sharing this info with Facebook?
- Go to Another Website. One question that Zuckerberg hedged in the D.C. hearings last year was whether Facebook tracked user’s activity when they moved to another website from Facebook. Not sure it they’re tracking you, then close out your Facebook tab before moving on to another website.
Maybe Facebook gathering data is no big deal, however being aware of where your data my be going is always a big deal. Surf wisely.
