While Facebook has become an everyday part of life for hundreds of millions of people across the world, many of those active on the platform are blissfully unaware of the vast amounts of personal data the company aggregates about them.
With data becoming one of the greatest resources for business in the modern era, individuals are increasingly becoming more concerned about exactly what type of information can be found about them in cyberspace – and on Facebook in particular.
While people are offered a range of privacy setting options to choose from when posting on Facebook, many are completely unaware that they have the ability to customize the privacy settings on the information they share.
This can create a dynamic where your personal information is easily preyed upon by strangers, advertisers, and criminals alike.
Fortunately, there’s a way to determine exactly how much of the information you share on Facebook is publicly accessible.
A simple tool made by Supremo now allows you to see exactly what personal data you have shared with strangers on Facebook.
The Supremo website presciently warns:
Hi there! Did you know that every single time you visit a website, you reveal information about yourself simply by visiting?Similarly web sites that allow you to login via Facebook could be collecting all kinds of information if you haven't properly checked the permissions you're granting. See what kind of information we can process about you using the login button below.
Ironically, the tool asks for permission to access your personal information on Facebook. However, the company notes that the "information we've gathered will be completely removed from our records but there are more malicious uses of your personal information potentially."
To find out what personal information you’ve shared, simply go the Supremo website and give it permission to access Facebook.
According to a report by IFLScience:
The tool will ask you rather creepy questions, such as: “How was your visit to the Natural History Museum in London 46 days ago?” It will also show you a random photograph of yourself and other personal information, such as the school you went to, your workplace, your partner's name, your family members, your email address, and the events you've attended. Creepy.“The point is simple! We all need to be very careful about how we choose to spare our information online and who with,” Supremo explains. “After you close this window all of the information we've gathered will be completely removed from our records."
The Supremo tool offers a tutorial on how to use the available Facebook privacy setting options in a manner that safeguards an individual's personal privacy.
Additionally, the site provides some common sense guidelines on what and when to share safely.
For example, it provides information on “What kind of content you should never share on Facebook,” which includes:
Your credit card information or other financial details
Your full home address
When your home is empty
Regular photos with geotags
And while many of the tips seem like common sense, a good rule of thumb is that you can never be too cautious when it comes to sharing personal data online that can be exploited by strangers.
As TFTP has previously reported, your data is collected by all major internet giants. Thanks to a function of their search software, Google could have years worth of your conversations recorded, and you can hear it for yourself. Your cringe-worthy history can be heard and viewed along with a list of all your searches, at your personal Google history page.
The feature was built into Google's search function as a means of delivering accurate search results. However, the sheer accuracy and amount of data Google stores is chilling.
The good news is that you can turn it off and delete it. If you'd like to know how, click here.