Facebook’s extensive tracking of its users’ online activities has been exposed in a new study.
Research by Consumer Reports indicates that, on average, a staggering 2,230 companies actively share data about each user with the social networking app.
In some cases, up to 7,000 companies shared their data with Facebook.
Why we care As data privacy concerns continue to grow, these statistics have the potential to create trust issues that could significantly impact your brand reputation. Additionally, in markets such as the European Union, where data privacy regulations are increasingly strict, these numbers can also give rise to legal and ethical concerns.
problems Although Meta offers transparency tools, Consumer Reports identified problems with them. The study highlighted problems, including the unclear identity of many data providers based on the names revealed to users. Additionally, the report noted that companies that provide services to advertisers may often ignore users’ opt-out requests.
How the study worked. Consumer Reports joined forces with The Markup to recruit 709 volunteers willing to share their Facebook data files. Participants downloaded a three-year data archive of their Facebook settings and submitted it. This allowed organizations to analyze server-to-server tracking, discovering how many companies shared user data with Facebook by transferring personal data from their servers to Meta’s servers.
US statistics. The study acknowledges that its findings may not be representative of the US population as a whole because the data comes from a self-selected group of users. In addition, the results were not adjusted for demographics. Consumer Reports also noted that participants were likely more privacy-conscious, technically inclined, and likely Consumer Reports members, indicating possible sample bias.
What Facebook says. This was said by Meta’s spokesperson, Emil Vázquez The marking:
“We offer several transparency tools to help people understand the information companies choose to share with us and manage how it’s used.”
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What is Consumer Reports? Consumer Reports is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works with consumers to uncover truth, transparency and fairness in the marketplace.
What is The Markup? The Markup is a non-profit newsroom that investigates and challenges technology to benefit the public.
deep dive read the Consumer Reports study in full for more information.
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