I was giving away my personal information to 241 websites/ apps via Facebook! If you would like to see how to stop these websites see below for instructions!
I have been on Facebook since 2007. Over that time I have allowed hundreds of webpages and apps see my personal data. My full name, my whole friends list, etc. After the Facebook Cambridge Analytica Scandal this week I decided to check to see how many websites were using my information and I was shocked at how many there were.
I am sure I allowed all of them to access my information at one point or another. Some of the random "apps" I allowed access are:
- Answer these 10 questions and we will tell you your stripper name
- If you were a character from Sex and the City which one would you be?
- Answer these questions about pizza and we will tell you your age
- Take this quiz and we will tell you when you will die (wtf, lol)
Facebook Pretends That You Are In Control of Your Privacy...
I remember the first time I blocked someone on Facebook. It made me feel that Facebook really did care about my privacy. I mean, the settings on my Facebook Account are so strict that normal people would not be able to see anything on my profile. I have it locked down pretty tight! But I never really thought about the apps and websites that were tracking my information, almost 250! Who knows what they were using this information for!
Google and Facebook Track EVERYTHING You Do
Every single message you've ever sent. Every place you've ever went with location services turned on. Every website you've ever visited. They keep track of it all. I am going to write a more in depth post detailing what I have been reading over the last couple days, and its mind blowing stuff. In this post though I just want to show you how to find out which websites/apps on Facebook have access to your information, and how to stop them.
Step 1: Go to Settings in Your Mobile App
Step 2: Scroll Down to Apps
Step 3: Look At All The Apps/Websites That Have Your Info!
Go through and check all the boxes of the Apps you want to remove access to your information and click remove. I'm sure youll find at least a couple that you don't remember using! I don't remember using 90% of these apps.
I honestly wasn't too surprised when I heard about this latest Facebook scandal. I figured that they were using my information and showing me relevant ads...but it seems that Facebook and Google are saving every single thing we do and using it all to track us. This all might be way more insidious than I originally thought. I guess I am naive. I do feel that decentralization and privacy will be the our next fight. We have been allowing these companies to track us for too long. I know I am always mentioning Pillar (PLR), but the wallet they are making is going to be revolutionary in not only holding your cryptos safely but your personal information. Check it out if you want to learn more!
Anyways, after checking how many websites/apps on Facebook have access to your information? Any funny ones? Do you remember allowing all of these apps permission? Will you be more careful granting access in the future? Do you think Facebook's days are numbered or do you think they will rebound and people will go back to not caring about their data being shared?
I am always happy to hear from you in the comments section below! I know that Steemit is quiet lately but we all need to band together and wait for the bear market to be over. I am hoping that we will see some upward movement soon! Steem on!
Emily