If you're still in the dark as to whether your Facebook information was shared with data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica, the social networking site now has a tool that will clear things up.
According to Mashable, a Facebook page titled "How can I tell if my info was shared with Cambridge Analytica?" reveals whether you or your friends used a quiz app called "This Is Your Digital Life," which reportedly exposed the data.
>> Click here to use the Facebook tool
Once you're on the page, scroll down to "Was My Information Shared?" There, you'll see one of the following messages:
1. 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."
2. Based on our investigation, you don't appear to have logged into "This Is Your Digital Life" with Facebook before we removed it from our platform in 2015.
However, a friend of yours did log in.
As a result, the following information was likely shared with "This Is Your Digital Life":
- Your public profile, Page likes, birthday and current city.
A small number of people who logged into "This Is Your Digital Life" also shared their own News Feed, timeline, posts and messages which may have included posts and messages from you. They may also have shared your hometown.
3. Our investigation indicates you logged into "This Is Your Digital Life" with Facebook before we moved it from our platform in 2015.
As a result, you likely shared the following information with "This Is Your Digital Life":
- Your public profile, Page likes, friend list, birthday and current city
- Your friends' public profiles, Page likes, birthday and current cities
A small number of people also shared their News Feed, timeline, posts, messages and friends' hometowns with "This Is Your Digital Life."
According to The Associated Press, as many as 87 million users' data may have been shared with the firm, which "may have used ill-gotten user data to try to influence elections."
Facebook previously announced it would send affected users notices, but the AP reported late Tuesday that "there were no signs that any users have yet received that notification."
Additionally, Facebook said it would be sending its 2.2 billion users a more general notice about protecting their privacy on the social networking site.
About the Author
