Those Dumb Facebook Quizzes You Did Years Ago Are Probs Jacking Your Data

In the wake of Cambridge Analytica and its dodgy handling of Facebook data, people are starting to look closely at what exactly they’re allowing third-party apps to access through the social media platform.

In short, Cambridge Analytica – a company some politicians use to try and influence voters through social media – were instrumental in Donald Trump‘s presidential win. They used ultra-targeted ads based on millions of Facebook accounts, but the thing is, the way this data was gathered wasn’t exactly above board. You can get more details on that here.

Companies can gain access to your data based on what you interact with. If you’ve ever done one of those quizzes that tells you which of the Friends characters you are, congratulations, Ross, you probably just gave up your profile information.

When you agree to accessing these things with Facebook, it gives the app’s developers access to all sorts of details, like your education history, your religious and political beliefs, as well as your friends list. While the developers themselves might not use the data, they may well sell it on to someone who will.

With that in mind, it’s a really great time to check out which apps have access to your personal data, because if you’re anything like me, you clicked on some baffling shit back in the day. Here’s how to check.

If you’re on PC, click on the little triangle at the top right of the screen to drop down the options menu. Here, click Settings, then click Apps in the menu on the left.

If you’re on mobile, tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right to bring up the same menu, then click Settings, then Account Settings, Apps, then Logged in with Facebook.

Embarrassing, no? Good thing whatever “Are you on a boat?” is has access to absolutely everything on my profile. Fucking great. I can’t even remember if I was on a boat.

Same goes for the quizzes, “What LOLcat are you?” and “What Plastic Army Man Are You?” Needless to say, I have revoked their access to all my shit, which you can do by hovering over the app and clicking the ‘X’ in the top right corner.

However, this only stops them from accessing your data from here on out, so it doesn’t clear anything they might have sitting on their own servers. To get rid of that, you’ll have to contact the developer, which you can do by clicking on the app and selecting “Report App” from the bottom. Select “I want to send my own message to the developer” and request that they remove anything they have stored. Whether or not they comply can’t be guaranteed.

It’s definitely worth having a look at where your data is going, folks, particularly if you’re not into having targeted ads served to you.


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