Consumers unaware of incredible amount of data companies share with Facebook

January 18, 2024 A striking study by Consumer Reports and The Markup has unveiled the sheer magnitude of data sharing with Facebook. For the average solo Facebook user, a staggering 2,230 companies, and sometimes over 7,000, are involved in handing over personal information.

This extensive research, involving 709 volunteers over three years, revealed that an overwhelming 186,892 organizations passed data about these individuals to Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

These figures shed light on the intricate web of data sharing that Facebook is entangled in. It’s not just a handful of companies; it’s thousands, each contributing to the vast pool of information that Facebook collects.

The study highlights the depth and breadth of data exchange between companies and Facebook. For many users, the extent of this data sharing remains unseen and often unacknowledged.

This revelation brings to the forefront significant privacy concerns. With such a vast network of data sharing, the implications for individual privacy are profound and far-reaching.

Sources include: The Register Also, here is a link to the full study and the tool and remarkably, you can download the study without giving up your personal information.

 

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Picture of Jim Love

Jim Love

Jim Love's career in technology spans more that four decades. He's been a CIO and headed a world wide Management Consulting practice. As an entrepreneur he built his own tech business. Today he is a podcast host with the popular tech podcasts Hashtag Trending and Cybersecurity Today with over 14 million downloads. As a novelist, his latest book "Elisa: A Tale of Quantum Kisses" is an Audible best seller. In addition, Jim is a songwriter and recording artist with a Juno nomination and a gold album to his credit. His music can be found at music.jimlove.com
Picture of Jim Love

Jim Love

Jim Love's career in technology spans more that four decades. He's been a CIO and headed a world wide Management Consulting practice. As an entrepreneur he built his own tech business. Today he is a podcast host with the popular tech podcasts Hashtag Trending and Cybersecurity Today with over 14 million downloads. As a novelist, his latest book "Elisa: A Tale of Quantum Kisses" is an Audible best seller. In addition, Jim is a songwriter and recording artist with a Juno nomination and a gold album to his credit. His music can be found at music.jimlove.com

Jim Love

Jim is an author and podcast host with over 40 years in technology.

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