Facebook users are downloading their data - and making some horrifying discoveries

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Mark Zuckerberg. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters
Mark Zuckerberg. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters

The scandal over how Cambridge Analytica allegedly misused Facebook data highlights the sheer power of the information we share with Mark Zuckerberg’s social network.

In the days that have followed, it’s become clear that Facebook has stored highly private data such as details of phone calls and texts from Anrdoid user, stretching back more than a decade.

Many Facebook users have been shocked by what they’ve discovered after downloading their own Facebook data file.

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It’s easy to do (instructions are at the bottom of this piece), with Facebook emailing you a data file, sometimes several gigabytes in size, after a few minutes.

Many users have been shocked by what they found.

People’s call history, meticulously recorded

This issue affected Android users who had signed up to Facebook’s Messenger app and agreed to certain privacy options.

Text messages to exes

Users also found that the app had stored long-deleted text messages.

Details of relationships – even ones not on Facebook

Even you don’t put that you’re ‘in a relationship’, Mark Zuckerberg’s social network can still work out your love life.

Contacts people had deleted – including ‘sensitive’ ones

People had mistakenly assumed that deleting a contact from their phone would be enough to get rid of it.

Deleted Facebook Messenger messages

The ‘delete’ button on Facebook doesn’t mean a great deal, when someone could easily go into your account and download your full details.

Everyone you have ever ‘poked’

Remember ‘Pokes’? So does Facebook – it stores details of everyone you ever ‘Poked’ or were ‘Poked’ by.

Advertisers to whom people’s info had been given

Perhaps most alarmingly of all, Facebook lists advertisers with users’ contact details – something people are NOT happy about.

The names of people’s doctors

If you want to see your own Facebook data, it’s easy to do: you’ll need to be on the desktop PC version of Facebook, though.

Cick the triangle in the top right of Facebook on desktop, then select Settings, then select ‘Download a copy of your Facebook data’.

It’s at the bottom of the first menu.

Click that, then go through to the Facebook data page and select ‘Start my Archive’.

It can take a while to archive all the data, as Facebook includes all your posts, chats, photos and everything you’ve ‘Liked’ during your time using the site.

Facebook sends you an email once the data is ready, and you can download and open it.

Much of it is stored as browser pages, but you’ll be able to see what’s in it by clicking on each file. It’s organised by section, such as ‘Photos’ and ‘Messages’.

If you’re concerned, you can delete or deactivate your account – but you can also take steps to police who can see your information.

Setting your Facebook posts to private is the most important and simplest step you can take towards keeping your Facebook data safe – ensure people who aren’t your Friends can’t see it.

To do this, go to the top-right menu icon (in the desktop version of Facebook), then click Settings, then click Privacy.

From this, you can select several options, including ‘Public’, ‘Friends’ and ‘Only Me’.

Choose ‘Friends’ – which means that from now, no one you don’t authorise will be able to see your posts.

You’ll still have to deal with your old posts, though, as described below.

Just because a Facebook post isn’t on your Timeline doesn’t mean it’s not visible – people can often find old Facebook posts via the site’s search function.

Go to Settings, Privacy then select ‘Limit Old Posts’, which will mean everything is only visible to Friends.

It’s well worth taking the time to ensure every picture and post is at a privacy level that suits you.

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