Slashdot Mirror
European Users Overwhelm Facebook With Data Requests
An anonymous reader writes "If you've ever wondered how much personal data Facebook holds about you then prepare to be surprised. Using European data privacy laws, it's possible to request the data Facebook has stored about you. The document can total 800 pages covering everything from the expected name, address, and date of birth, right through to every event you've attended, every message you've deleted, and your political and religious views."
The best part is that Facebook has to send a physical disc containing the data. This has been exploited by a number of users, completely overwhelming Facebook's ability to make the discs.
From the Reddit post they discussed: http://www.damnlol.com/watermarked/ea83e08059fd271293365560edd6d795.jpg
It's always confirmation bias!
What if my purpose in requesting the data about me isn't to help DDoS Facebook with a deluge of requests, but because I actually want to know what data Facebook's compiled on me. That is, after all, why the law exists in the first place, and it's not at all strange that someone might want to know that information.
If Facebook finds it expensive and inconvenient to mail out physical CDs, they could agree to allow at least optional delivery by other means, such as over the internet.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
But you use Google, right?
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
You may not use Facebook, but that doesn't mean you're not on it. You may be in a picture, or mentioned in a comment somewhere by a friend. You can be tagged, at which point it's your full name, picture, (time-dependent) location, the activity you were engaged in (therefore hobbies or social activities), you are linked with others tagged in that photo and their hobbies, religions, political affiliations, relationships. Someone could mention that you were at the office party, at which point they know you work for the same company as $FBuser.
Don't assume that because you didn't create a profile yourself that Facebook doesn't have one anyway.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
It takes a woefully naive person to use a service like Facebook for free and not expect that Facebook is collecting your data and somehow profiting from it.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
Complaint 02 is about shadow profiles for non-users.
I don't see why you couldn't request it, except that you (going by your journal) are American, so the Irish/European data protection laws don't apply.
(It's interesting that the data is provided for free. British companies are allowed to make a "reasonable charge" for providing the personal data, which is almost always £10.)
It's that surprising? Most people's status updates alone would take up dozens of pages.
Then of course you have your photos, videos, notes, message history, chat history, comments you've posted, tags you've received, events you've been invited to, groups you've joined, everything you've ever "liked"...
I imagine most people would be shocked to find out how many groups they're in, or how many posts, pages, or links they've "liked".
There is another means: https://www.facebook.com/settings Click "Download a copy of your Facebook data." and follow the instructions.
Except that that only gives you the information that's currently accessible to you and other facebook users. It does not include the photos and posts you've "deleted" (but which facebook still stores). It certainly does not include the history of sites you've visited while logged into facebook, or any other tracking history which facebook has gathered and associated with your name. Think about it: facebook has at least an order of magnitude more information on you personally than you appear to think. All of it is used for customizing sales of your identity and your interests and so forth to facebook's customers (you're the merchandise, not a customer).
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
The provinces that have enacted similar enabling information also allow for you to request the data. In Quebec, for example, they have to *print it out*. That could get VERY expensive to print and send by mail. When the Journal de Montreal ran a full-page "coupon" that people could clip out, fill in and email to the federal govt requesting a copy of the Fed's "all-in-one-consolidate-all-govt-data-on-U" HRDC database, 29,000 people made the request, and HRDC ended up having to delete the database instead.
After making a request under the DPA I received the following :
Hi,
We have received your subject access request (the "Request").
Due to the volume of personal data access requests that we have recently received, we are experiencing significant delay in processing such requests. We therefore are unlikely to respond within 40 days of your initial request. We appreciate your patience and will respond as soon as possible.
We are presently refining our request response processes and approach to align the present high volume of access requests with the resources available to process these requests. We appreciate your patience and will respond as soon as possible.
Please be aware as well that we are not required to comply with any future similar requests, unless, in our opinion, a reasonable period of time has elapsed.
Again, we appreciate your patience and we will respond as soon as possible.
Thanks for contacting Facebook,
Facebook User Operations - Data Access Request Team
God: An invisible friend for grown-ups.
oh no, I would never use google or facebook for those reasons. I only trust the integrity of Microsoft web services
This may not be a popular viewpoint, but I think it's a very relevant issue, and I do not use Facebook. I believe its very existence is an ethical issue though. Facebook represents a truly evil company, not in the unethical-business-practices sense, but a whole different order of that, I'd say they're rapidly approaching Gestapo-evil. Facebook stores enough information to learn a lot about specific individuals, and Facebook is conditioning people to give up their privacy. It might just be one of the most useful tools for an oppressive government or unethical intelligence organization to blackmail someone or, better, ruin their public image.
Facebook is not run by idiots. Those people know what they're doing, they know they're storing even "deleted" data and they know they're building very detailed profiles on every user. They also, unlike most of actual Facebook users, probably have the intelligence and foresight to imagine how it all may be used for horrible things, so there's no way I can see them as morally innocent.