The amount of data Facebook has is almost inconceivable, because Facebook can track so many different aspects of people’s lives. We began the class discussing data we give to Facebook (like gender, birthday, and friends), and whether or not this data should be passed to third party applications. But since then, we have learned about the sheer amount of other data Facebook has, and this continually blows my mind. They have information on our likes and interests, those of our friends, and the advertisements that appeal to us. They are even sent information from partnering sites, like JCrew, about what you look at while logged into Facebook in the same browser.
While this may seem like a lot – an excessive amount even – it is not all. A German law student, Max Schrems, began a campaign against Facebook last year to expose to the world all that they know and track, as well as attempt to change their policies. Using a provision of Irish law, Schrems was able to obtain all of the information Facebook keeps on him (which was 1,222 PDF files). The volume and scope of that data shocked him – and me, upon reading about it.
I suppose maybe I should not have been shocked – all of the information pertains to the individual’s use of Facebook. Still, it is information people do not realize Facebook is tracking and keeping on file.
This picture for example, tracks the times he logged onto Facebook in a five week span, as well as the times he sent Facebook messages. All of these Facebook messages were also in the PDF files, including messages he had deleted. Additionally, Facebook uses the GPS tracking stored in iPhone photos to pinpoint places people go, even if they choose not to share this location information publicly on Facebook.
As previously stated, I guess I should not be surprised. All of these data sets directly relate to Schrem’s use of Facebook, and he probably consented in some form or another in the terms of agreement. Still, is it necessary for Facebook to track each user so extensively? What value, as far as personalized advertising, does old Facebook messages have? And why are the times he logs onto Facebook stored by individual user, rather than in a large, anonymized data set?
More and more questions like these ones kept popping into my mind until I stepped back for a second to reflect. Was I being unreasonable? Do all companies keep such extensive logs of their clients? The answer, it seems, is no to both of these questions. Using this same platform, Schrems filed a complaint claiming 22 violations of European law. He also began Europe vs. Facebook, a movement that has gained over 40,000 followers who have all contacted Facebook in Ireland requesting all information held on them by Facebook.
He has made some progress educating people about what information Facebook holds as well as making Facebook’s data more available to users. However, there is still much further to go. If it were truly easily accessible, most people in this class would read this post, get curious, and go download their data. Let’s see how many actually do – that will be the true test.