Now Is the Time to Check Which Third-Party Apps You Have Connected to Facebook
This weekend, The New York Times reported that profile information for 50 million Facebook users was compiled by Trump-affiliated think tank Cambridge Analytica through a custom app on the site.
Basically, a professor working with the firm created a personality test that people could take on a website, you know, like those viral tests that determine what kind of golden girl you are or how southerner you are? and then collected this data to create a targeted strategy for Facebook based on what it learned about these people and their friends.
Here’s a video in which a Cambridge Analytics informant explains what happened:
Worst of all, these 50 million people agreed to collect all the data on them, but probably didn’t realize to what extent. Here is the official Facebook comment on the matter:
“The claim that this is a data breach is completely false. Alexander Kogan requested and received access to information from users who decided to register in his application, and all participants gave their consent. People deliberately provided their information, no systems were compromised, and no passwords or confidential data were stolen or hacked. “
So, if this all sounds awful to you (it must be), now is the time to go to Facebook and see exactly which apps you are sharing with and delete the ones you no longer wish to share with.
When I checked out this morning, I was surprised to see that I am logged in with Facebook in 365 apps right now. Even though I’ve cleaned them up before, scrolling through, I found a number of apps and services that I have used once or have not used for several months – they need to be removed. You can check yours by clicking here .
Whether you keep everything or put yours away, it’s always a good idea to pay attention to what information you give the app access to when you sign up, and go in and check it every few months or so to make sure you can still share. with this information now.