The information era is seriously affecting our privacy. The simple fact that technology cannot be avoided and have to be used by humans comes at a serious price. And we are paying currently.
Facebook and other social media applications are blessed with lots of users. Owning an account on social media used to be viewed as a craze, but years later, almost everybody now own one. It is somewhat compulsory now, as it grants you the opportunity to interact with your friends and loved ones while still being a key part of your business life as well.
Facebook’s homepage will never fail to tell you- “It’s free and always will be”.
But between me and you, is it, really? or is there a concealed price somewhere? Have we all thrown away our privacy when we signed up? See below and discover if it is indeed the truth that Facebook listens to your private convos.
Why Do You Feel Facebook Is Listening To You?
For a long time ago, the argument has been if Facebook has really been spying on our accounts or not. Facebook officials have denied it, and have tagged them “conspiracy theories.” They say Facebook makes use of no mic in their users’ devices to record whatever is being said.
According to the social network, advertisements placed are not based on private convos. Rather, Facebook makes use of public profile information, the pages you fancy, your status updates, what you are interested in e.t.c. All this does not go against the law, and they are what you agree to when you register.
Regardless of what Facebook has said, several users still suspect Facebook is spying on them. You might have the same opinion as well. It could be that you were chatting with a friend on phone about something you really fancy, and suddenly, you saw an advertisement for the precise brand or product on your news feed. Could it be a a coincidence, or is there something be suspicious about with the application?
Google and Facebook are popular for retrieving your browser data, and this does not need you to be logged in or not. It is rampant to view targeted advertisements according to the information that has been retrieved this way. Maybe the adverts will not be for the precise product you searched on Google, but for something quite identical that you might prefer.
Are Your Facebook Friends The Link?
Facebook monitors your location as well, and if you are chilling with your pals outside the house and capture a pic, this information can be used too. Why is this vital? Because Facebook tracks more than only your image tags.
Your friends are not left out, and it is aware of how close the relationship between each of them is according to your interactions with them.
Due to this, Facebook can consider your friends before displaying an advertisement for you.
How about if you were not the one that searched for that product on Google, but your friend did and Facebook is aware?
It does not matter if you have very few friends and you discussed something with only one person, that might be all Facebook needs to key into making some profit. But before that can happen, this friend in question has to search for the product on Google.
How Can I Prevent Facebook From Listening To Me?
It is pretty hard to stop Facebook from whatever they do with their targeted advertisements. But, it is possible to limit access to your private information. You can discover a lot about this if you tap “Managing Your Account” on Facebook and then head into Accessing & Downloading Your Information. The Privacy and Safety menu is also useful for you to explore.
If you feel there is nothing else you can do, the last solution is to totally get rid of Facebook. Delete it. To do that, head to “Managing Your Account”, then disable or delete your account. By so doing, you will get rid of almost all your data on the social network’s server.
We are not sure about the amount of data that is still kept by Facebook. But your private info can no longer be accessed online if this is done. It takes up to a month to totally get rid of a profile, and you can go back on your decision during this time. After a month rolls by, your deleted data can not be gotten back.
But Is Facebook Really Listening?
Facebook’s record is shaky as regards security and privacy, but the social network might not really be listening to your conversations everyday. This will require lots of time and effort and it is definitely not in accordance with the law.
A privacy breach of that level will only spell doom for Facebook.
And no one has presented proof to the several theories about Facebook spying.
But because users knowingly let go of their privacy and personal info, it is not shocking that targeted advertisements are getting excessive.
