Facebook Really Is Spying on You, Just Not Through Your Phone’s Mic

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-really-is-spying-on-you-just-not-through-your-phones-mic-1520448644

    

       Do you know that feeling you get when you were just having a conversation with your mom about those shoes that you really wanted and next thing you know, you see an advertisement about those same shoes as you scroll through your news feed? Nowadays, the way technology has advanced, our world keeps surprising us each and every day. So much so, that Facebook has begun to take advantage of this. In this article written by Joanna Stern, she discusses the ways Facebook knows exactly what type of advertisements you would be interested in seeing on your news feed. It may be rather startling how well Facebook is able to do these things, but one has to admit that their methods are actually pretty clever. A few of these ways include tracking what you have purchased in stores. Have you ever typed in your phone number when purchasing your items in order to receive store points?  That information allows Facebook to see what you have purchased and from where. Which is why that chapstick you bought the other day showed up on your news feed. Another way Facebook has improved their advertising system is by using your phones GPS, your location tracking, and Wi-Fi access points around you and any other breadcrumbs you may leave behind. Facebook can also track what apps you have used and any other advertisements or pages you have clicked on as well as your search history. All of these things put together, allows Facebook to know what you like and determine what advertisements they should target you with. However, Facebook does not want people to feel as if their privacy is being invaded. That is why there are ways you can turn off location services or any other ways Facebook could find out information about you. Although the way Facebook gathers their information may be a bit scary, many companies have been able to take advantage of Facebooks advertising skills and have improved their companies revenue because of it. Facebook is a great way for other companies to market their products because it is efficient. The way they are able to target people that they know for sure are interested in their products allows them to be more successful. As a user of social media myself, this article caught my eye because I too was a little paranoid when I heard the rumor that Facebook was starting to "hack" into their users' microphones in order to gather better insight. However, this article provides the readers with solutions on how to stop Facebook from receiving your information. This information comes in handy especially if the user is as paranoid as I am.