Posted on 01/21/2024 4:30:17 PM PST by chickenlips
A recent study by Consumer Reports, in collaboration with The Markup, has unveiled the extensive scale of data tracking aimed at Facebook users. Some users in the study were tracked by as many as 7,000 companies.
A recent study from Consumer Reports engaged 709 volunteers who provided archives of their Facebook user data. Astonishingly, Consumer Reports discovered that 186,892 different companies transmitted data about these users to Facebook. On average, data from each participant was shared by 2,230 companies, with some users’ data being shared by over 7,000 companies.
This examination highlighted a lesser-known form of tracking known as server-to-server tracking, where personal data is transferred directly from a company’s servers to Meta’s servers, alongside the more visible method involving Meta tracking pixels on company websites.
Emil Vazquez, a spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, defended the company’s data practices, stating: “We offer a number of transparency tools to help people understand the information that businesses choose to share with us, and manage how it’s used.” However, Consumer Reports identified issues with these tools, including unclear data provider identities and companies that service advertisers often disregarding user opt-out requests.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
What’s Facebook ?
I have never joined or looked at Facebook beyond an occasional click on something linked. Same way with Twitter/X, Tik-tok and the like. Google/Chrome? I treat that crap like being in the room with an ebola patient.
I saw a movie called “Social Network” that talked about the Facebooks. It did not sound like something I wanted to be a part of.
Even when you pay for it. Mobile phone companies, cable TV, even streaming services all sell data on their users. At least FB doesn’t charge you to use like they do.
I opened a Facebook account several years ago so that I could interact on a specific sports page. I used it for awhile to post comments to news articles, and was appropriately critical of Hillary on a few. I used VPN, a lot of layers, and did not use identifying information they could use. They suspended my account and insisted that I post a picture. So I did. A random picture off the net. They said, ‘no, it has to be a real picture’. So I uploaded another picture, a person but low resolution and not identifiable. That was the end of that account.
Don’t forget car manufacturers. Let your car download your address book for convenience? Guess what? All that data gets Hoovered up and shared.
This whole thing is dumb. Facebook, YouTube, etc. should have very detailed lists of what categories of ads are available. Then we can choose what ads we want to see. No need for all this spying around.
YouTube is particularly silly. I’m interested in trucks, and in DIY home repair. I get ads about body wash and shooting games. I suppose YouTube uses some kind of algorithm. But it’s a darn bad one. And their page to customize ads is pretty poor, too.
Maybe they want to sell how you react to those stupid ads. The more clicks from you, the better.
“Same way with Twitter/X, Tik-tok and the like. Google/Chrome? I treat that crap like being in the room with an ebola patient.
Google Chrome is a tool, not a site. It doesn’t have any content of its own.
That applies to every “free app” btw.
When I read some Freeper bragging about a deal they got using an app I cringe.
I know it’s not a ‘site’ but you can’t tell me they don’t get/track/use one’s information and sell it off to others or use it in contracts they have with the government.
Yes, they do!!! Heck, there is a lawsuit about them even tracking people using incognito mode.
Lol! I like your description. I feel the same way.
Thank GWD I don’t use Face crap!
Oh, On Star is the worst.
Google is a company most widely known for their search engine
Chrome(by google) is a web browser based off of the open source Chromium, a Linux project.
ChromeOS(by google) is also based off of open source software.
Google made their money by collecting data from the gazillion searches done at google.com
The google search is free which means you are the customer. Same with facebook.
Both google and facebook will track you all day across all the websites you visit, IF you’re logged in to either. That includes their subsidiary sites like google/youtube, facebook/instagram etc.
What a boring job.
Exactly.
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