People have been trying to connect with one another since the inception of the web. In the late 1990s, social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace allowed people to create profiles and interact with friends online. These websites were some of the first popular online destinations, and their success paved the way for newer social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Today, social media is a major portion of our daily existence. We use it to stay connected with friends and family, share news and ideas, and stay up-to-date on current events. We also actively follow our favorite celebrities and brands. Social media has made its mark. But as ubiquitous as these websites may seem, are they good for us? Is there a breach of privacy? When we sign up for these sites, do we know who we’re sharing our information with?
Why is Everything About Data?
Ever been lazily scrolling on Facebook and came across an ad for something you were talking about with a friend the other day? That’s not a coincidence. Facebook (and all other social media sites) collect data on everything we do. They track the websites we visit, the things we click on, and even our location. All of this information is used to create detailed profiles on us. It might not seem like a big deal, but it is.
This information is a valuable resource for businesses that embrace the data-driven culture and wish to target advertising directly at us. For those wanting to affect public opinion, it’s also a Holy Grail (which is considerably easier than you’d think).
Why All the Fuss?
So why does any of this matter? After all, we’re not doing anything wrong by using these social media sites. And if we’re not doing anything wrong, then why should we care if they’re collecting information about us?
Cambridge Analytica harvested data from Facebook and used it to build comprehensive psychological profiles of approximately 50 million individuals without users’ knowledge. This data was then employed to sway voters in the 2016 US presidential election.
It’s just one more example of how businesses and authorities might use our personal information. Especially if it gets into the wrong hands, and it’s not just political organizations that are after our data; companies are, too.
Personal Data and Your Clicks
Facebook has long been known to collect a lot of information about its users. When you sign up for Facebook, you need to provide your name, email address, date of birth, gender, and place of residence. But that’s not all.
Facebook also collects data about the websites you visit, the pages you like and share, and even the apps you use. All this data is combined to create a detailed profile of you, targeting ads specifically at you.
No Cookies Please
Google is a little less sneaky about how it collects information about you. It uses something called “cookies” to track your web browsing history. It means that Google knows what websites you’ve visited and what you all searched for on Google. They use it to target advertising at you.
Oh, My Dear Gmail
But wait, there’s more! Google also has access to your personal information if you have a Gmail account. They know when and where you’ve logged into your Gmail account, what kind of device you were using, and what time zone you’re in. And if you use any other Google products like YouTube or Google Maps, they’ve got even more information about you. All of this data is used to show you targeted ads that Google thinks you’ll be interested in.
From the Hashtags You Use
Hashtags are a great way to find content and connect with others interested in the same things as you. But did you all know that they help in collecting information about you? That’s right! The hashtags you use can give social media websites an idea of what you’re interested in.
What’s funnier is that we all started hashtagging our interests before social media websites were even a thing. So, in a way, we’ve been helping them collect this data on us since the beginning.
Your Attitude is Monitored:
Websites evaluate your “attitude” on topics. For example, you may have seen poll questions that appear benign used to paywall newspaper articles. If you take the time to respond to any inquiries, whether they are about social or political issues, it’s beneficial information for advertisers and marketers.
They Know Where You Are
Most social media platforms use GPS to track your location. And, if you enable geotagging, they can even pinpoint the exact location of where you took a photo or made a post. While this is great for finding nearby friends or businesses, it’s not so great for your privacy. So, up for a streak on Snapchat, anyone?
Games and Quizzes
How much fun, right? Wrong! Do you want to know when you’ll die or what will be written on your tombstone? No, no, you don’t. But these quizzes are still fun to do with friends. Unfortunately, by taking these quizzes, you are giving up a lot of information about yourself. And, some of it may be sensitive information that you wouldn’t want to share with just anyone.
Job Hunt Craze
It’s not like social media is all bad. It’s a great place to look for jobs. However, many people post their resumes on social media and do not realize that they make it very easy for potential employers to find them. You are giving up your privacy and opening yourself up to possible identity theft by doing this. The world knows who you are, where you are, what you do, and how much you make.
Can I Protect Myself?
There are a few things that you can do to protect yourself from social media tracking.
- Be mindful of the information you share online, and don’t post your address, phone number, or Social Security number.
- Set your privacy settings to “private.” It will make it more difficult for people to find you.
- Be careful about what you click on; many social media sites have ads that track your clicks.
- Log out of social media sites after using them; it will prevent cookies from tracking your activity.
- Use a VPN. A VPN (a virtual private network) will encrypt your traffic and make it more difficult for social media sites to track you.
- Be aware of “trackers.” Many websites (including social media sites) have trackers that collect information about you.
- Use strong passwords and change them often; it will help to protect your account from hackers.
- Think before you click “like” or “share.” You’re giving a website some information about your preferences when you like or share something on social media.
- Be careful about what you post; once something goes on the internet, it’s complicated to remove it.
Bottom Line
As a society, we are increasingly aware of the privacy implications of using social media websites. Every day, it seems, there’s a new tale about how these platforms gather data on their customers – often without our knowledge or consent. While many people are now wary of what they post online, knowing just how much information these companies have on us can be challenging.
We hope this information has helped us understand how social media websites collect information. Remember, be careful about what you post online – once it’s out there, it can be challenging to remove it.