Who actually owns your data?

Facebook has come under a lot of scrutiny, as questions began snowballing about access to the data’s network.

People are now concerned because Facebook’s data is not just numbers and figures, it’s living and breathing data about the real people who use this network daily. Many are outraged that their personal details, preferences and habbits are being used by companies to influence something as significant as an election.

If they can use this data to change the outcome of something so prolific, what else could they do with these private details?

But has anyone read the privacy policy in Facebook’s terms and conditions? I haven’t and unless I develop insomnia, am still unlikely to, despite this scandal. What people don’t realise is you’ve agreed to share your life’s highlights, thoughts and photos not just with your friends, but with the brains working at Facebook.

What is concerning is the number of people that fail to realise the deal they’re making when they start creating their profile on Facebook. Everything from your date of birth and gender, to liking a Love Island memes page, is building a picture of who you are that can be segmented and sold on.

If you’re getting something for free, it normally means the product is you.

As invasive as that sounds, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. With this refined data, you get targeted adverts from shops, holiday sites and in my case DIY pages, that are relevant and useful. Through a carefully honed algorithm, Facebook is able to keep you interested for longer by showing you content that fits your profile.

There are things you can do, make sure your profile is set to private to stop people outside your group of friends watching, or take the more personal details like your phone or date of birth off your profile, but nothing will change the access you’re giving Facebook to those details.

Last week, Zuckerberg said that his company had made mistakes in mishandling data, but I think the greatest worry is how many people don’t realise how much access they give the network when they clicked ‘create profile’ all those years ago.