Allegations around the use of Facebook data to target political campaigns by Cambridge Analytica, reported by The Observer, The New York Times and Channel 4, have left many wondering if they should be so free with their personal information online.
Though the specific Facebook feature that gave Cambridge Analytica access to the data of millions of users without their permission is no longer available, what you willingly share can still be used to build up a detailed picture about you for targeting adverts. If this has you worried, here are some tips to tighten up your online presence.
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Clear out the clutter
The first step is to conduct a clean sweep of all app interactions youāve previously approved. Clicking will bring up the list of Facebook apps that have access to your data. Scan through the list, and if there are any apps you donāt use, donāt recognise or donāt remember āĀ disable them. Also look at the āapps others useā option that shows the information that can be handed over on your behalf, by your friends opting into apps. Though much of the information is trivial, it does include personal details like your date of birth and personal interests you may not want to spread widely. Similarly, itās easy to do a privacy check-up for all things Google with .
Install a tracker blocker
Many companies use trackers. These sit in the background of websites and monitor your surfing patterns. Install a browser extension likeĀ to block them, orĀ Ā that clicks on random ads in the background to confuse them.
Read the small print
Tech firms rely on the fact that users wonāt read the privacy policies before clicking āI agreeā. Be more vigilant, and take your time to understand what youāre sharing and with whom when youāre tempted to download the next big app. āBe proactive,ā says Tim Turner, a data protection consultant. āAsk companies what data they have, where they obtained it from, and who theyāve supplied it to.ā
Go dark
Itās a drastic move, but some are calling for people to . EvenĀ , the co-founder of Facebook-owned WhatsApp has joined the movement. However, Facebook donāt make this easy: they prompt you to ādeactivateā, rather than delete, your account. Doing so will put your account into the deep freeze, with your data still held by Facebook. Instead, you can visit to permanently delete your account. Itās not an instantaneous process: thereās a two-week cooling off period, then Facebook takes 90 days to wipe all trace of you from its database forever. Even then Facebook own both Instagram and WhatsApp, so cutting ties completely with the companyĀ could be just too much hassle for some.
