Lindsey Komson

Featured image by Pixabay

When downloading a new social media app, we all know the popup that appears about accepting the privacy policy. Let’s be real: we all click “accept” to get right to the app we downloaded.

But have you ever thought about what’s actually in those privacy policies? What the apps might know about you? How they’re using your information?

I’ll admit, I never really thought about it as a consumer either. But now, as I’m entering my professional career as a marketer, it’s hard not to get caught up in how much information we have available to us when targeting audiences.

So now you’re probably wondering: how do these apps gather my information, and what do they use it for?

I took a deep dive into Facebook’s privacy policy, and here’s what I learned:

Information collection & usage

Facebook collects all kinds of information from your profile and interactions on the platform. The 4 main categories of information it collects are your activity/provided information, friends and connections, app/browser/device information, and information from Facebook partners/vendors/third parties.

In more detail:

• Your activity/provided information: Contact information you use to make the account, posts you make or engage with, purchases you make, how long you use the app for, browser activity if you use the in-app browser
• Friends and connections: Accounts or pages you engage with and how often, contacts you chose to sync from an address book
• App/browser/device information: The device and software you’re using to open Facebook on your device, information you chose to share like location, camera, or photos, and some location-related information even if you have your location services turned off
• Information from Facebook partners/vendors/third parties: Apps you use, games you play, your demographics, the ads you see and how you interact with them, and how you use Facebook partners’ products/services both online and in person.

According to its privacy policy, Facebook uses your information to create a personalized experience on the app like suggesting reels to watch or groups to join. However, it also shares your information with integrated partners and third parties to create more targeted advertising. Facebook shares your information with advertisers and researchers, among others. While Facebook makes it known that it uses your information, it’s very clear in the privacy policy that there’s no selling of information, and there never will be.

Privacy concerns and controversies

While Facebook clearly outlines its privacy policy online, there are still concerns about its ethical use of consumer data.

A New York Times article explains that Meta (Facebook’s parent company) was fined $1.3 billion in 2023 for violating data protection rules on Facebook.

Another issue with Facebook’s data tracking arose recently, with users becoming aware that Meta AI is being trained with Facebook user information. According to MIT Technology Review, users don’t really have a foolproof way of preventing Meta from using their data to train AI. User data has probably already been used without us knowing it.

Meta now has an opt-out policy, where users who don’t wait their information used to train Meta AI can submit a form and wait to be approved. There are a few simple steps, outlined in this TechRadar article.

Transparency and consumer protections

Facebook, like any other social media platform, needs to comply with security regulations in order to stay in business. It’s extremely important that Facebook complies with these two major regulations, the GDPR and CCPA.

The GDPR (General Data Production Regulation), represents a data protection law that gives consumers control over their data, according to Sprout Social. Usercentrics explains that Facebook has made key changes since the GDPR was introduced to make sure it remains compliant, including: updates to privacy policies, consent mechanisms, and data access. Facebook’s information regarding the GDPR can be found here.

The CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), is a California state law that enforces Californians’ rights to privacy of personal information, according to IBM. Facebook released a feature called LDU (Limited Data Use) that allows businesses and consumers to have more control over how their data is used, onetrust explains. Facebook’s information regarding the CCPA can be found here.

Improvements for the future

Facebook is constantly improving based on privacy regulations, but I do think one recommendations could make an impact on both the company and users. As I mentioned earlier, users weren’t aware of Meta AI being trained by user information. Going forward, Facebook should alert users of changes to its policies, whether that’s in the app, in an email, or both. This way, Facebook avoids future legal troubles and users are fully aware of the platform’s policies.