Facebook Privacy: Social Network Buys Data From Third-Party Brokers To Fill In User Profiles

It comes as no surprise to any Facebook user that the social network gathers a considerable amount of information based on their actions and interests. But according to a report from ProPublica, the world’s largest social network knows far more about its users than just what they do online.

What Facebook can’t glean from a user’s activity, it’s getting from third-party data brokers. ProPublica found the social network is purchasing additional information including personal income, where a person eats out and how many credit cards they keep.

That data all comes separate from the unique identifiers that Facebook generates for its users based on interests and online behavior. A separate investigation by ProPublica in which the publication asked users to report categories of interest Facebook assigned to them generated more than 52,000 attributes.

No surprises there. I guess a little tin foil is a good thing.

Hopefully this will open some people's eyes, but then again I doubt it. It's going to be the same "nothing to hide" argument all over again.

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You guys are not going to want to hear this but ...

  1. If you aren't doing anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about in regards to your info. being out there.
  2. They will get the info. no matter what you do whether you are using the web or not.

Paranoia will destroy ya!

This, and people with this viewpoint, are the problem.

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If you think everything is fine you are either.

  1. Not paying attention.
    or
  2. Don't understand the topic
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Let me add that this is early days. Wait until 'they' :
1. have enough info on you to build a supposed profile of you and they make their own assumptions of who you are.
2. they begin to share these profiles that are now years in the making, with Ad vendors, potential employers, government agencies and the like.

People change over time but it wont matter the growth you've made as a person, they have profiles you and believe you to be a certain way because of the data they have collected on you. This on its own should be very scary in itself. like I said, 'early days' wait till people are denied jobs/promotions, wrongfully charged/convicted of crimes all because of some 'crap' you've shared/watched or participated in on the internet...

On the other side of the token, you do not get hired because you have no public FB profile/record, and HR doesnt want to do the legwork to figure out if you're employable..
If you think that's ridiculous, there are apartment complexes in america that will downright turn you away if you refuse to add them to your Facebook. They will make you create an account if you tell them you do not have one.

I see your argument and I appreciate it. However, I strongly disagree with it. Skipping a lot of middle points here I would like to jump to a finishing point. What happens when they move the goal post on you. Rather than just passive monitoring they put a box in your room where someone is constantly monitoring you, both through sound and sight. Even in your sleep they do this. And it's not just in your room. It's in your bathroom when you are taking the morning shart. It's in your kitchen while you are kissing your wife good morning. It's on your way to the bus stop hidden in a light pole. It's in the bathtub as you commit suicide listening to you bleed out after you realize that by having nothing to hide you let the world slip in to a dystopian police state night mare.

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FB sounds close to FBi .It's just a consumer face on something much uglier.

Remember how IBM supplied the nazi's with their latest databasing systems so they could catalog the Jews. What's the difference here if democracy fails ?

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Wait till this information becomes as easy / part of a background check. They could easily develop a system to base you upon your 'history' so to speak...

Which is why it's important for people to understand the EULA of products. If you agree to share information with a source, its just as easy for government agencies to get that info since you willingly supplied it.

And my family keeps asking why I don't have FB profile among other social sites.

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For all of you knocking me I get the negatives of what I stated but the facts are information will be gathered on you no matter what. Also for people that are pedos, criminals and more if this gets more of them put to death eventually well yay to that. Also I hope that in the future instead of people voting for politicians that are paid for before they even get into office you will vote for people that don't even belong to a party if you have to. It seems Americans in the last election didn't do that so stop complaining about the way things are if you are not going to do anything about it. Also about a revolution which is needed not only in the USA but also Canada and elsewhere do I see people taking up arms and taking back what is their's? No. In America I see the militia groups as WEAK. What is the point of having the groups if you are going to sit on your hands and do nothing? Oh wait! You have them just so you can get together with the guys and go out shootin' ur gunz and drinking beers. LOL!

If they really wanted to invade some of the places you talked about they already would have by getting a warrant or whatever and placed bugs. I am not some deviant that needs to be eliminated from society so I am supportive of the government having more of an eye on things. Not to some of the extremes you think I support but I think they should be allowed to be more intrusive. Also I support the death penalty and having it apply to more crimes and to people that are younger committing these crimes. Just sayin'.

For you to say what you did and get three likes for it is unbelievable. I have belonged to Tek Syndicate related content for how long? I don't expect you to know but it has been long enough to hear the tinfoil hat stuff. I pay attention and understand the topic. My thing is people keep putting the wrong people in power and refuse to start a revolution to take the government back and so unless you and the other 3 that voted like or love or whatever for your post are willing to do that be quiet.

PS: Did you know that I have openly talked on the internet about wanting to join a militia in Canada to overthrow our government / Parliament Hill? The problem is I don't have the money nor the pull to get anything done and to my knowledge there are no militia groups in Canada.

Weak people like many out there who won't start a revolution and overthrow their governments that are being sold to the highest bidder are the problem. I ask you are you and the 7 people who liked your post willing to grab a gun today and storm Parliament Hill like I would for a cause if you had 100 or 1000 strong in a militia group? If the answer is no then be quiet.

Everyone get your popcorn ready and DVRs set for Foxnews, CNN, MSNBC, RT, etc. When is the coup d'état?

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I asked T.O. and Chad Johnson to join in but they haven't committed to the cause yet.

Oh and @fruitbrut are you willing to die to take down the corrupt governments in NA? I am under the right circumstances. I'd do it immediately.

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I don't have a Facebook account and I pay for everything with cash. It's not even because I'm paranoid.

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Cash is being eliminated slowly but surely. You won't have that option in 10 years for sure.

@DeViLzzz The days of the militia are dead, friend. Anyone who says they are willing to die to take down a corrupt government on a publicly available forum these days is asking for the pain train.

Will there be an armed uprising against tyranny and corruption? If people are content with their lives and circumstances it won't happen. You'll need more than shady data deals to put people into the trenches against a foe as powerful as the United States.