How to check if Facebook gave your data to Cambridge Analytica right now

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2020
This week, Facebook has started to alert the estimated 87 million users affected by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, advising in the News Feed if personal data for an account was obtained by the company. For users of the social network who haven't yet seen a notification, there is a second way to manually check if their privacy was violated as part of the affair.




The main way users will find out if their details were acquired by Cambridge Analytica will be via a privacy warning at the top of their News Feed. For those affected, the notice explains the banning of the website "This Is Your Digital Life," which was used to capture user data, and was then provided to the political analysis firm, with the warning provided to those who used the site as well as friends and acquaintances who may also have been victim by proxy.

For other users unaffected by the event at all, the notice instead provides more general guidance for checking apps and websites that have access to their Facebook data.




As the notice will be slowly rolling out to users, with users in the UK starting to receive their notifications ahead of other countries, it may take some time before everyone who uses Facebook will find out if their personal data was shared via this method. The alternative way is to visit Facebook's support page titled "How can I tell if my info was shared with Cambridge Analytica?" which will provide a more immediate answer.

On that page, a box labeled "Was my information shared?" will display the results for the currently logged-in user. The contents of the box will change depending on if the user accessed the banned site, if their friends logged in, or if their data is safe.




In each case where some data was accessed, Facebook advises the type of content that was "likely shared" with the banned service. In cases where data was shared, Facebook advises this will include the public profile, page likes, birthday, and their current city.

Facebook also warns that a small number of users who logged into "This Is Your Digital Life" also shared their News Feed, timeline, posts, and messages, which may include posts and messages from friends. It is advised for all users, regardless of whether or not their data was involved in the Cambridge Analytica affair, to review and update the information they share with third-party services by checking their account settings.

AppleInsider has also produced a guide for reducing the amount of private information available on accounts, minimizing the data that could be acquired by analytical firms in the future.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    This isn't only about CA, but about the whole platform. Many more apps had access to this same data. Apparently most Facebook account holders have been compromised.
    edited April 2018 cgWerksrazorpitwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 22
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    Of course my data wasn't affected as I post little and refuse to use those stupid apps.
    razorpitSpamSandwichwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 22
    donjuandonjuan Posts: 61member
    What about the thousands of other groups that had access to Facebook APIs?
    razorpitSpamSandwichwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 22
    The media as usual are missing the point of this story, the data that cambridge-analytica had, was and still is available to any company willing to pay facebook for it. The outrage should be how much personal data people are (surely unknowingly) freely handing over to zuckerberg and how he's profiting from it.

    Incidentally, I've tried the app and website and neither are showing any privacy messages for me. Maybe my 1-facebook-post-per-year average isn't worth much on the open market.  :D
  • Reply 5 of 22
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    icoco3 said:
    Of course my data wasn't affected as I post little and refuse to use those stupid apps.
    Only a friend of yours need have used any of these apps for your data to have been affected.
    edited April 2018 randominternetpersonGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 6 of 22
    zroger73zroger73 Posts: 787member
    "Neither you nor your friend logged into 'This Is your Digital Life'.

    ...it doesn't appear your Facebook information was shared with Cambridge Analytica..."

    I find that hard to believe give the app activity of some of my friends. I've never used any apps and block any that I received invites from. I've taken what I believe to be reasonable steps to protect my privacy over the last decade on Facebook.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 22
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    icoco3 said:
    Of course my data wasn't affected as I post little and refuse to use those stupid apps.
    Makes no difference. 

    If a friend of yours used the app then it plumbed his Facebook friends and found this you. Then Facebook handed over your details without telling you. 




    Eric_WVGGrandominternetpersonwatto_cobraGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 8 of 22
    Eric_WVGGEric_WVGG Posts: 966member
    Hah. Ironically, this is the first time I have regretted deleting my Facebook account — I have no way to check this.

    (deletion was coincidental to the CA thing, I did it the day before the news broke)


    (Ray is right; Wikipedia: “The data about the 50 million Facebook users were acquired from 270,000 Facebook users who shared the data with the app ‘thisisyourdigitallife’.”)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 22
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member
    I'm supposed to take Facebook's word that my data wasn't shared? :#
    bonobobrazorpitirelandwatto_cobra[Deleted User]
  • Reply 10 of 22
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    ireland said:
    icoco3 said:
    Of course my data wasn't affected as I post little and refuse to use those stupid apps.
    Only a friend of yours need have used any of these apps for your data to have been affected.

    Rayz2016 said:
    icoco3 said:
    Of course my data wasn't affected as I post little and refuse to use those stupid apps.
    Makes no difference. 

    If a friend of yours used the app then it plumbed his Facebook friends and found this you. Then Facebook handed over your details without telling you.

    From the Facebook Support site...

    Was My Information Shared?
    Based on our available records, neither you nor your friends logged into "This Is Your Digital Life."
    As a result, it doesn't appear your Facebook information was shared with Cambridge Analytica by "This Is Your Digital Life."

    A boring existence has its benefits. :)

    edited April 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 22
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    If you can't see your comment, read the commenting guidelines. Again. Reflect upon your sins, and don't do it again.
    watto_cobrabeowulfschmidt
  • Reply 12 of 22
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    If you can't see your comment, read the commenting guidelines. Again. Reflect upon your sins, and don't do it again.
    Then the article should probably be pulled... this whole thing is politically motivated in the first place, or we'd have heard about it a long, long time ago. Why does only one side of the political spectrum get highlighted? My point is that what CA did was common practice and celebrated until it possibly pertained to a certain political position.
    edited April 2018
  • Reply 13 of 22
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    cgWerks said:
    If you can't see your comment, read the commenting guidelines. Again. Reflect upon your sins, and don't do it again.
    Then the article should probably be pulled... this whole thing is politically motivated in the first place, or we'd have heard about it a long, long time ago. Why does only one side of the political spectrum get highlighted? My point is that what CA did was common practice and celebrated until it possibly pertained to a certain political position.
    Show me where we highlighted part of the political spectrum in this article. 

    I'm not interested in a debate on forum moderation matters. We have gone out of our way to remain politically neutral on this issue. This isn't about politics, and I literally do not care which party used the data.

    This is about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and how they harvested the data of millions without permission. I have little sympathy for those who visited the harvesting location, but the people who didn't deserve to know that they're on the list.
    edited April 2018 randominternetpersonGeorgeBMacbeowulfschmidticoco3
  • Reply 14 of 22
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    So how do I find out if my FB data was used in elections previous to 2016?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 22
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    hexclock said:
    So how do I find out if my FB data was used in elections previous to 2016?
    It's a safe assumption that data that you consented to share in any venue at all was used in every election prior to 2016 back to the dawn of campaigning. And that, right there, is the difference.
    edited April 2018 watto_cobraicoco3
  • Reply 16 of 22
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    Mike Wuerthele said:
    Show me where we highlighted part of the political spectrum in this article. 

    I'm not interested in a debate on forum moderation matters. We have gone out of our way to remain politically neutral on this issue. This isn't about politics, and I literally do not care which party used the data.

    This is about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and how they harvested the data of millions without permission. I have little sympathy for those who visited the harvesting location, but the people who didn't deserve to know that they're on the list.
    Mike, If this weren't in regards to politics, it wouldn't be a news article in the first place. It can't possibly be politically neutral!

    This is normal operation for Facebook. The only thing different in this case is the timing and the who. It doesn't have to turn into a political debate, but I'm getting kind of sick of all the media hoopla over this as if it's some big deal all of a sudden.

    I'm glad people are finally waking up... it's the context that bothers me. The article, for example, says nothing about how to check if our data was used by a zillion other organizations (including ones that shall not be named in the interest of not getting political, apparently).

    On the one hand, I'm grateful to AI for the technical information, but by highlighting this along with the rest of the media, you're participating in the political aspect too, whether you like it or not (unless you disclose the type of stuff I and others have been attempting to disclose).
  • Reply 17 of 22
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    cgWerks said:
    Mike Wuerthele said:
    Show me where we highlighted part of the political spectrum in this article. 

    I'm not interested in a debate on forum moderation matters. We have gone out of our way to remain politically neutral on this issue. This isn't about politics, and I literally do not care which party used the data.

    This is about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and how they harvested the data of millions without permission. I have little sympathy for those who visited the harvesting location, but the people who didn't deserve to know that they're on the list.
    Mike, If this weren't in regards to politics, it wouldn't be a news article in the first place. It can't possibly be politically neutral!

    This is normal operation for Facebook. The only thing different in this case is the timing and the who. It doesn't have to turn into a political debate, but I'm getting kind of sick of all the media hoopla over this as if it's some big deal all of a sudden.

    I'm glad people are finally waking up... it's the context that bothers me. The article, for example, says nothing about how to check if our data was used by a zillion other organizations (including ones that shall not be named in the interest of not getting political, apparently).

    On the one hand, I'm grateful to AI for the technical information, but by highlighting this along with the rest of the media, you're participating in the political aspect too, whether you like it or not (unless you disclose the type of stuff I and others have been attempting to disclose).
    Disagree about political aspect, and it's my house, so there you are.
    SpamSandwichGeorgeBMacicoco3
  • Reply 18 of 22
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    cgWerks said:
    If you can't see your comment, read the commenting guidelines. Again. Reflect upon your sins, and don't do it again.
    Then the article should probably be pulled... this whole thing is politically motivated in the first place, or we'd have heard about it a long, long time ago. Why does only one side of the political spectrum get highlighted? My point is that what CA did was common practice and celebrated until it possibly pertained to a certain political position.
    Show me where we highlighted part of the political spectrum in this article. 

    I'm not interested in a debate on forum moderation matters. We have gone out of our way to remain politically neutral on this issue. This isn't about politics, and I literally do not care which party used the data.

    This is about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and how they harvested the data of millions without permission. I have little sympathy for those who visited the harvesting location, but the people who didn't deserve to know that they're on the list.
    After watching several hours of Zuckerberg testify, it seems the app developer who made the personality quiz will be getting grilled next. The TOS for the quiz was revealed to give explicit permissions to the developer to sell and archive any data collected, in apparent conflict with FB policy. So in that sense, the data wasn’t really stolen as people agreed to the terms by installing the app. Sticky situation. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 22
    adm1 said:

    Incidentally, I've tried the app and website and neither are showing any privacy messages for me. Maybe my 1-facebook-post-per-year average isn't worth much on the open market.  :D
    Given the number of FB users and what they've said is the number of accounts given to CA, your chance of not finding your name on that list is 95.65%. So you shouldn't be surprised in the least?
    edited April 2018
  • Reply 20 of 22
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    hexclock said:
    cgWerks said:
    If you can't see your comment, read the commenting guidelines. Again. Reflect upon your sins, and don't do it again.
    Then the article should probably be pulled... this whole thing is politically motivated in the first place, or we'd have heard about it a long, long time ago. Why does only one side of the political spectrum get highlighted? My point is that what CA did was common practice and celebrated until it possibly pertained to a certain political position.
    Show me where we highlighted part of the political spectrum in this article. 

    I'm not interested in a debate on forum moderation matters. We have gone out of our way to remain politically neutral on this issue. This isn't about politics, and I literally do not care which party used the data.

    This is about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and how they harvested the data of millions without permission. I have little sympathy for those who visited the harvesting location, but the people who didn't deserve to know that they're on the list.
    After watching several hours of Zuckerberg testify, it seems the app developer who made the personality quiz will be getting grilled next. The TOS for the quiz was revealed to give explicit permissions to the developer to sell and archive any data collected, in apparent conflict with FB policy. So in that sense, the data wasn’t really stolen as people agreed to the terms by installing the app. Sticky situation. 
    It wasn't illegal, it was against Facebook's TOS. They won't be testifying.
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