Facebook has faced ongoing scrutiny over how it handles user data and privacy. While the company states that it does not sell or give away personal information without consent, there are some instances where Facebook may share user data with third parties or make it publicly available.
Does Facebook sell user data?
Facebook claims that it does not sell any user data to third party companies, advertisers or other entities. Its data policy states: “We do not sell your personal information to anyone, and we never will.”
However, Facebook does use user data for targeted advertising purposes. Advertisers are able to target ads to specific demographics and interest groups among Facebook users based on information such as age, location, and online behaviors and activity. But advertisers do not gain direct access to individual user data.
Some critics have argued that Facebook’s targeted ad system amounts to selling access to user data, even if individual data is not directly sold. Facebook maintains that it does not consider this “selling” user data.
Does Facebook share user data with other companies?
Facebook may share certain user data with third party companies in some instances, including:
- App developers and partners – Apps and websites that use Facebook services may receive user data to personalize content and experiences. But Facebook limits the type of data shared and requires app developers to adhere to privacy policies.
- Subsidiaries – Facebook may share user information across its family of companies and services, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, to provide joint services and improve ad targeting.
- Law enforcement – Facebook will provide user data to law enforcement agencies if required by law or necessary to prevent harm or criminal activity.
- Research partners – Facebook shares some user data in an anonymized, aggregated form with academic researchers and partners.
- Service providers – Vendors and service providers may have access to some data to provide services for Facebook, such as site analytics.
In all of the above cases, Facebook maintains that it only provides third parties with the data needed for specific purposes and under contractual restrictions for privacy and security.
When does Facebook make user information publicly available?
There are a few instances where some basic user data may be visible to the public on Facebook:
- Public profiles – Names and profile pictures are visible to anyone by default. Other info may be public if privacy settings allow.
- Posts – The content of posts may be public depending on a user’s privacy settings.
- Pages – The names of Pages (businesses, brands, organizations, etc.) created by users are public.
- Groups – The names and members of public Facebook Groups are visible to all.
- Events – Public events have details visible to anyone on Facebook.
- Comments – Users who comment on public posts or Pages have their comments shown publicly.
- Friends list – A user’s list of Facebook friends may be visible depending on their privacy settings.
Beyond information clearly exposed on the Facebook platform itself, there are a few other ways users’ personal data could become more publicly accessible:
- Data breaches – Unauthorized third parties have accessed Facebook user data illegally in data breaches. The largest was the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal.
- App settings – Third-party apps connected to a user’s Facebook account may access varying amounts of profile data depending on permissions settings.
- Downloads – When users download an archive of their Facebook data, it includes data not all visible on their public profile.
- Location services – Using Facebook location services on mobile devices shares your location data unless settings are tightened.
What data does Facebook collect about users?
Facebook collects a wide range of data about its users, including:
- Profile info – Name, bio, profile photo, age/birthday, location, contact info, relationship status, family members, education history, work history
- Posts and messaging – Status updates, shared links, News Feed interactions, messages, groups joined, events attended
- Networks – Friends list, followers/follows, Pages liked or followed, Groups joined
- Activity log – History of posts made, content clicked or viewed, searches, location check-ins, and other site activity
- Device data – IP address, device IDs, device type, operating system, browser type
- Interests – Pages liked, ads clicked, shopping habits, topics engaged with
- Facial recognition data – For photos and videos uploaded by user
When users visit external sites or apps that use Facebook tools, Facebook may receive some site activity data from partners. Facebook also receives data when non-users interact with Facebook Pixel or social plugins on other sites.
How does Facebook use user data?
Facebook uses the data it collects about users for the following purposes:
- Customizing content – To personalize and improve users’ site experience and feed recommendations
- Targeted advertising – To serve ads based on relevant interests and site activity data
- Product development – To improve existing products and develop new products and features
- Profiling – To build detailed profiles about individual users, groups, and activities on and off Facebook
- Fact-checking – To provide fact-checking services on articles and posts
- Ranking connections – To determine relevance of connections in News Feed and algorithms
- Facial recognition – For photo tagging suggestions and other features involving image data
- User safety – To detect security threats, harmful activity, and policy violations
- Research – To conduct and support internal research around areas like user experience and demographics
Facebook states that it does not use user content or data for any purpose that a user has not consented to. But critics argue that Facebook’s broad consent provisions allow it wide latitude for how it uses data.
How does Facebook obtain consent for data use?
Facebook outlines its privacy practices and data uses in its Data Policy agreement. All users must consent to the most up-to-date version of this policy in order to use Facebook.
Key points about Facebook’s consent policies:
- Opt-out model – Consent is assumed through continued use of Facebook. There is no ability to selectively opt-in or opt-out of specific data uses.
- Policy updates – Facebook may update the Data Policy at any time and will notify users of changes. Continued use constitutes consent.
- Limited restrictions – Users can limit some data collection via privacy settings, but cannot restrict all data uses outlined in the policy.
- Withdrawal of consent – A user’s only option to fully withdraw consent is to delete their Facebook account.
Some critics argue that Facebook’s broad opt-out consent model does not provide users enough control or transparency around how their data will be used. But Facebook maintains its policies follow applicable laws.
Can users delete their Facebook data?
Users who wish to stop using Facebook entirely can request to have their account permanently deleted. This erases all of a user’s data from Facebook’s systems. However, some data may remain in Facebook’s backups or aggregates:
- Backup copies – Data removed from active systems gets erased from backups within 90 days.
- Aggregated data – Facebook may retain anonymous, aggregated insights derived from user data indefinitely.
- Third-party copies – Data such as messages or photos shared with others is not deleted.
Users can also delete specific info from their active account without fully deleting it. But some user data cannot be deleted, such as search history and logs of past activity and connections.
How can users increase privacy on Facebook?
Facebook offers a number of privacy settings and tools users can adjust to limit sharing and visibility of their data. Recommended options include:
- Enable Timeline review – Review and approve posts and info before they appear on your Timeline
- Limit old posts visibility – Restrict which previous posts are visible publicly or to specific audiences
- Review app settings – Remove unused apps with access to data and tighten permissions
- Adjust ad preferences – Modify interests and categories used for ad targeting
- Limit profile visibility – Set profile info like address and phone number to be visible only to friends or yourself
- Turn off location services – Disable location check-ins and other mobile tracking features
Users should also be cautious sharing personal info not required by Facebook, limiting friend/follower lists, and considering enhanced account security options like two-factor authentication.
Facebook Privacy Issues and Controversies
Facebook has faced significant backlash over its privacy practices, including the following issues:
- Cambridge Analytica scandal – In 2018 it was revealed that millions of users’ data was improperly obtained by the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
- 2011 FTC consent decree – Facebook settled with the FTC over privacy violations related to public post visibility and third party app access to data.
- Facial recognition – Facebook’s facial recognition tools sparked privacy concerns, leading to lawsuits and the discontinuation of some features.
- Tracking of non-users – Facebook received criticism when it was found to be collecting data on site usage by non-Facebook members.
- Government demands for data – Facebook has faced pressure to limit how law enforcement accesses user information through warrants and subpoenas.
As a result of controversies like these, Facebook has faced increased scrutiny from privacy advocates and regulators. This includes major fines, broad privacy investigations, and requirements to improve transparency and consent controls.
Conclusion
In summary, while Facebook officially states it does not sell or freely share user data, there are some contexts where personal information becomes accessible to third parties or the public. Facebook relies on a broad opt-out consent policy that gives it latitude over data use. Ongoing controversies and lawsuits target Facebook’s privacy practices and seek to increase user protections. Overall, users should be aware of how their information may be collected and used on Facebook if they wish to better control their privacy.