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Alert: Facebook knows these 98 facts about you and it's scary AF

Shweta Sengar | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:47 IST

We love Facebook. No matter where we are, what we are doing, we have access to the addiction of our life via laptops and smartphones. However, what we do not know is that Facebook has been storing different types of data about us.

We often come across ads on our timelines which are eerily well-suited to the need of the hour, as if someone just read our mind and offered us exactly what we wanted.

You may have wondered how these ads found their way to you.

The social network just revamped its ad preference settings to make them easier for users to understand.

So for the sake of advertisements, Facebook stores these 98 personal data points. Get ready to get the shock of your life.

1. Location

2. Age

3. Generation

4. Gender

5. Language

6. Education level

7. Field of study

8. School

9. Ethnic affinity

10. Income and net worth

11. Home ownership and type

12. Home value

13. Property size

14. Square footage of home

15. Year home was built

16. Household composition

Facebook keeps ads "useful and relevant" in four distinct ways. It tracks your on-site activity, the ads you click, your location and device settings, your smartphone brand and the network connection that you are using.

Once you've logged into Facebook, the network virtually tracks all other websites that you open. Even if you log out of Facebook, the social network is notified whenever you load a page with Like or Share button.

Here are the other data points that Facebook stores -

17. Users who have an anniversary within 30 days

18. Users who are away from family or hometown

19. Users who are friends with someone who has an anniversary, is newly married or engaged, recently moved, or has an upcoming birthday

20. Users in long-distance relationships

21. Users in new relationships

22. Users who have new jobs

23. Users who are newly engaged

24. Users who are newly married

25. Users who have recently moved

26. Users who have birthdays soon

27. Parents

28. Expectant parents

29. Mothers, divided by "type" (soccer, trendy, etc.)

30. Users who are likely to engage in politics

31. Conservatives and liberals

32. Relationship status

33. Employer

34. Industry

35. Job title

36. Office type

37. Interests

38. Users who own motorcycles

39. Users who plan to buy a car (and what kind/brand of car, and how soon)

40. Users who bought auto parts or accessories recently

41. Users who are likely to need auto parts or services

42. Style and brand of car you drive

43. Year car was bought

44. Age of car

45. How much money user is likely to spend on next car

46. Where user is likely to buy next car

47. How many employees your company has

48. Users who own small businesses

49. Users who work in management or are executives

These points are good enough to make Facebook an advertising giant. In the second quarter of 2016, the company made $6.4 billion in advertising, a number that's up 63% from the year before.

50. Users who have donated to charity (divided by type)

51. Operating system

52. Users who play canvas games

53. Users who own a gaming console

54. Users who have created a Facebook event

55. Users who have used Facebook Payments

56. Users who have spent more than average on Facebook Payments

57. Users who administer a Facebook page

58. Users who have recently uploaded photos to Facebook

59. Internet browser

60. Email service

61. Early/late adopters of technology

62. Expats (divided by what country they are from originally)

63. Users who belong to a credit union, national bank or regional bank

64. Users who invest (divided by investment type)

65. Number of credit lines

66. Users who are active credit card users

67. Credit card type

68. Users who have a debit card

69. Users who carry a balance on their credit card

70. Users who listen to the radio

71. Preference in TV shows

72. Users who use a mobile device (divided by what brand they use)

73. Internet connection type

74. Users who recently acquired a smartphone or tablet

75. Users who access the Internet through a smartphone or tablet

76. Users who use coupons

77. Types of clothing user's household buys

78. Time of year user's household shops most

79. Users who are "heavy" buyers of beer, wine or spirits

80. Users who buy groceries (and what kinds)

81. Users who buy beauty products

82. Users who buy allergy medications, cough/cold medications, pain relief products, and over-the-counter meds

It is a concern how many people actually know about the tracking habits of Facebook - and how well they are able to evade it. Facebook says that it has been transparent on both the sides. You may have noticed 'Why Am I Seeing This Ad?' - and that translates to Facebook's commitment to user privacy.

Facebook allows users to opt out of advertisements based on their use of other websites and apps.

83. Users who spend money on household products

84. Users who spend money on products for kids or pets, and what kinds of pets

85. Users whose household makes more purchases than is average

86. Users who tend to shop online (or off)

87. Types of restaurants user eats at

88. Kinds of stores user shops at

89. Users who are "receptive" to offers from companies offering online auto insurance, higher education or mortgages, and prepaid debit cards/satellite TV

90. Length of time user has lived in house

91. Users who are likely to move soon

92. Users who are interested in the Olympics, fall football, cricket or Ramadan

93. Users who travel frequently, for work or pleasure

94. Users who commute to work

95. Types of vacations user tends to go on

96. Users who recently returned from a trip

97. Users who recently used a travel app

98. Users who participate in a timeshare

Now, if you are terrified of the nature and amount of data Facebook stores about you, there's one simple thing you can do to avoid it. Don't use Facebook. Well, that's a far-fetched idea and we have now the reached a stage where Facebook is the first thing we open in the morning and the last thing we see at night.

Does this sound like a paradox?

With everything we do, eat, visit is visible on the internet (remember check-ins?), how can we actually expect privacy in our lives?

First published: 25 August 2016, 6:32 IST
 
Shweta Sengar @ShwetaSengar

Shweta covers Science & Technology for Catch Live at Catch News, scouring the Internet to bring readers items of interest, both serious and amusing. A foodie, photography enthusiast and globetrotter, she has also worked at The Economic Times before joining the Catch team. She studied Commerce at Kanpur University and has a PGD in Advanced Journalism from YMCA, New Delhi.